The Dawn Brigade
by TheMysteriousGeek2345
Summary: "It's always the darkest before the Dawn" The events of Radiant Dawn seen through the eyes of The Dawn Brigade. From Beginning to the end. Currently at: A Faint Light (Part 1: Chapter 3).
1. Under Grey Skies- The Escape

**Hello? :)**

 **There's a story behind this fanfic's existence. I have never played Radiant Dawn, but I'm watching a Let's Play of it at the moment (it's a good Let's Play btw). So, the comment section in that Let's Play REALLY hate the Dawn Brigade. I think I know why? Maybe? :)**

 **...So, I decided I was going to try and adept Radiant Dawn into a fanfic, entirely from the Dawn Brigade's perspective. It'll mostly be faithful to the game itself, though I'll be changing some things, adding some character depth and just exploring the Dawn Brigade in general. My goal: Try to get at least one person to like the Dawn Brigade.**

 **So, I have no idea if I'll be continuing this fanfic or not (I've only done the first two chapters, and that is roughly 12,000 words in length?) But if I do, it'll be in batches. Please don't expect continuous updates, as I'm normally an incredibly busy person and I'm writing this whenever I have time to spare.**

 **I really hope that you enjoy this mad idea of mine. :)**

 **TMGxx**

 **AN- I don't own the characters, nor do I own the game script (which either comes from the Fire Emblem wiki or GameFAQs). I claim some ownership of scenes not in Radiant Dawn, however? This is also my first time writing fight scenes, so they might not be the best? Also, British spellings of words will be used in this story, unless the game script uses the American spellings of words. Just to let you know.**

 **AN2- If I ever feel the need to explain a character's motivation, then I will place an Author's note at the end of the section instead, explaining why I allowed certain characters to act the way that they did.**

* * *

Under the cover of darkness, a woman quietly crept through the ruins of an abandoned fort. She had parted with her companion a short while before, as they both combed the ruins. Her farsight had told her that...

She could hear footsteps. The woman with Silver hair breathed quietly. The guards had finally arrived. Begnion soldiers, out to capture the Silver Haired Maiden. Begnion soldiers, out to hunt this Maiden down. Begnion soldiers, out to kill her.

Obviously, she was scared. Scared that she would be found, scared that she would be killed and scared that the Dawn Brigade would be destroyed along with her. But she couldn't show it. She mustn't show it... If the guards found her, she needed to appear brave. Also, It wasn't just her. It's was the lives of the Dawn Brigade, and the people of Daein that depended on her. She couldn't...

The woman hid behind a crack in the wall, hugging her Light Tome and her pet bird, as she could she the light of the soldier's torches approaching her.

"Find anything?" A voice rang out, destroying the almost serene silence. The woman presumed that this man was the leader of the soldiers sent out to find, and destroy, the Dawn Brigade.

A second voice said in reply, "Not yet, sir, no."

"Someone's gotta be here. Keep looking." The leader of the soldiers barked out his orders to the other soldier.

The other soldier said quickly, "Sir!"

The woman continued to hide behind the wall as she could hear the footsteps of the soldiers growing increasingly louder... And louder. Had they found her already? They couldn't have... She gasped. She could hear the footsteps quicken, as the soldiers got ever closer towards her hiding spot.

"We're wasting our time. There's no one here." The leader said quietly. The woman breathed quietly. Maybe that would mean that the soldiers would...

However, this hope was quickly destroyed when the other soldier muttered, "I know I heard something..."

Meanwhile, the woman could feel her pet bird wriggle in her hands, as it was desperate to fly away and escape from this place. The woman whispered quietly, "Hush, Yune! Please, don't cry. If they hear you, you'll give us away."

In reply, Yune tweeted, causing the woman to gasp. Even the dead would have been able to hear Yune's tweet. Those soldiers surely would know where she was now... She could feel the soldiers getting closer and closer towards her.

Suddenly, she had an idea. She let go of Yune, and allowed Yune to fly through the crack in the wall and towards the soldiers hunting her down. Maybe...maybe the soldiers would be distracted by Yune?

"Is it the Dawn Brigade?" The leader of the soldiers asked quickly.

The other soldier replied, "No. It was just a bird."

The woman breathed a sigh of relief, before offering a quiet prayer to Ashera, thanking the Goddess for her safety and the soldier's failed attempts to find her. She needed to go, and quickly. She needed to meet up with her companion, before heading back to Nevassa, where the rest of the Dawn Brigade were. She could do with a nice hot meal right about...

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her arm, and twist it behind her back. The woman cried out and dropped her Light Tome in shock. She looked behind her, and saw one of the soldiers. They had found her.

The soldier began to laugh loudly in her face, before smugly saying, "Thought we didn't see you?"

Meanwhile, more soldiers approached her, and quickly surrounded her. They waved torches in her face, probably so that they could see her face better. In an instant, one of the soldiers grabbed her chin. The woman began to struggle. She needed to get her Light Tome. That was the only way...

One of the soldiers muttered quietly, "Look...Silver Hair..."

"If it's the fortune teller, we'll be heroes!" The leader of the soldiers said happily, "Without her, the Dawn Brigade is nothing."

The soldier holding her chin tilted her face to the side. The woman continued to struggle, as she could see faintly see her Tome, lying discarded on the ground. If she could get her Tome back, then she would be able to injure these soldiers and escape. After all, her companion should be worrying about her by now.

"Oh, the general's going to love this. Bind her." The leader of the soldiers ordered quickly. The woman gulped. She knew who they were talking about. Him. The general would show her no mercy. She would be dead before the sun rose.

One of the soldiers muttered, "Sir." She could feel the soldiers pressing ropes against her wrists, eager to tie her up like... Like a prize. She continued to struggle, realising that if she didn't get out soon... Then she'd be dead.

Another soldier breathed down her neck, before whispering menacingly, "Listen up, lass. If you don't want to get hurt, don't struggle."

Not like that would matter. If she didn't struggle, and passively allowed the soldiers to tie her up, she would still get hurt. It would just be a little later, that's all.

Just then, the woman looked up. Yune. Yune had come back. Why? Yune wasn't safe here. The woman had also released Yune earlier so that Yune didn't get hurt by the soldiers. She was about to tell Yune to leave...

When she heard the sound of metal. One of the soldiers collapsed, howling in pain. In the confusion, the soldiers let go of her. She bent down, grabbing her Light Tome. She felt safe. She could now fight back.

"She's not alone!" The leader of the soldiers called out.

The woman saw a man in the shadows kick down several of the soldiers, knocking them out in the process. It was her companion. He had found her. Her companion dodged several of the soldiers' attacks, before the two of them stood back to back. In the distance, she could hear one of the soldier's blow a horn. More soldiers would be coming soon.

Her companion quickly said, sounding relieved, "Micaiah."

"Sothe..." Micaiah said softly, also feeling relieved.

However, the moment was interrupted by one of the soldiers, who said loudly, "Got you now!"

Micaiah quickly opened up the Light Tome, raising her hand as she shut her eyes.

"Ekarif Magae Teiodasto Ieraka!" Micaiah called out, opened her eyes. She could see a golden light dance across her hand, which caused all of the soldiers to wince and shut their eyes.

"My eyes!" One of the soldiers said, collapsing to the ground in pain.

Sothe muttered quickly, "Good job, Micaiah. Let's go."

"Right. Yune!" Micaiah said in response.

Sothe and Micaiah turned tail, and ran off into the night, with Yune flying behind them. They were safe.


	2. Under Grey Skies- The Return

**You know when I said that this would be published in batches? This is what I meant. I'm gonna publish each chapter in small sections...**

 **Or I could make it one long 5,000-6,000 word chapter, which on an iPad would be a pain in the arse to edit, mainly because I'm using the Werdsmith app. :(**

 **This is the first of several new scenes that I've added both to the Prologue and to the first chapter. I hope that you enjoy it. :)**

 **TMGxx**

 **AN- Again, I don't own the characters or the Game scripts used in this story.**

* * *

The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon as Sothe and Micaiah reached Daein's capital city, Nevassa. The two of them remained quiet as they walked through the city's silent streets, and towards their headquarters in one of the side streets.

Micaiah smiled as she walked through the city. Her home. The one place that had accepted her, both before, and during, the war between Daein and Crimea. Of course, that war had ended three years previously with Daein's "Mad King" dead, and the people enslaved to Begnion's Tyranny.

Sothe, on the other hand, spent the whole journey in deep thought. He had almost lost her again. And that was only a couple of years after he had found her at last. He couldn't lose her again. He couldn't bear to be on his own again. He smiled softly, as he remembered the time he had found Micaiah again...

" _Micaiah." Sothe muttered quietly, as he saw a Silver haired woman inside one of the houses. He smiled, before running into the house. The Silver haired woman looked up, before she placed a hand to her mouth. She obviously recognised him._

 _Micaiah said quickly, "Sothe, what are you doing here? I thought I told you..."_

 _"Micaiah, it's really you!" Sothe said happily, with a smile on his face, "I've been looking for you for ages, chasing a dream that I would find you again someday. And now that I have..."_

 _Micaiah sadly smiled, before sighing, saying, "Sothe..."_

 _"Micaiah." Sothe said, interrupting what Micaiah was about to say, "Please, don't say that it would be best for me if we never saw each other again. When...when you left I...I couldn't do it. I travelled across the continent of Tellius... I fought in the Mad King's War... Just so that I could find you again. Please... Please don't abandon me. It hurt the first time, and it would hurt even more if you abandoned me again."_

 _Micaiah shut her eyes, and muttered something to herself. What she said, Sothe didn't know. A minute or two passed before Micaiah opened her eyes again, and she said, "I promise. I promise that I will stay by your side."_

"What are you thinking about?" Micaiah said quickly, interrupting Sothe's train of thought. Sothe looked into Micaiah's golden coloured eyes, and smiled.

"I...It's nothing important." Sothe muttered, feeling flustered. He looked up, and saw the entrance to the Dawn Brigade's hideout. He quickly changed the topic, saying, "We're here."

Micaiah smiled, before she walked forwards and knocked on the door. A second later, the two of them were greeted by a short, blond haired man holding a bow at them. When he realised who they were, he quickly lowered his bow.

The man muttered quietly, relief evident in his voice "Sothe. Micaiah. We've been waiting for you a while... We thought..."

"We ran into some difficulties." Sothe said bluntly, "Begnion soldiers, to be precise."

The other man nodded, before saying, "I'll tell Nolan that you made it back safely."

Sothe and Micaiah entered the house as the blond haired man hurried onwards, probably to try and find Nolan. Meanwhile, Sothe and Micaiah quietly entered the small house, shutting the door behind them. As long as the Begnion soldiers didn't find their hideout, they would be safe.

Sothe moved towards the small kitchen, looking for some food to eat. Unlike most of Daein's populous, the Dawn Brigade did have enough to eat most days... Mainly because the people they helped gave them what little food they had as a result. Of course, if... No, when, Daein was free, the people of Daein wouldn't have to starve.

On the other hand, Micaiah headed upstairs, looking for the other members of the Dawn Brigade. She needed to discuss what happened last night with them. The trap, the soldiers...all of it. They needed to know.

She could hear footsteps, as three people walked towards her. One of them was the blond haired archer that had greeted them at the door. The second was a short, browned haired man with a smile on his face and a sword by his side. The third was a tall, long haired man with a beard.

These three, along with Sothe and herself, were members of the Dawn Brigade.

"Micaiah, you've returned." The tall man said, a smile of relief on his face.

The short, brown haired man said enthusiastically, "Micaiah! I knew you'd make it back safely! Is Sothe here?"

"Yes, Edward, Sothe also made it back. He's downstairs in the kitchen." Micaiah said, with a smile on her face.

Edward beamed at Micaiah, before heading down the stairs, presumably to talk to Sothe. Meanwhile, the blonde hair man and the tall man walked towards Micaiah, both with grim expressions on their faces.

"Leonardo said that you encountered Begnion soldiers last night." The tall man muttered seriously.

"We did, yes." Micaiah said, "They did set a trap for us. The only reason we escaped was due to my foresight."

The blond man, Leonardo, said quietly, "Should we head to the kitchen, Micaiah and Nolan? We need to discuss this as a group and plan our future actions."

"Yes, we need to discuss what happened, and quickly." The tall man, Nolan, said seriously, before the three of them headed downstairs towards the kitchen in order to have a group meeting.


	3. Under Grey Skies- The Discussion

Nolan sat at the head of the table, listening to Sothe and Micaiah's account on what had happened last night. They had gone to the ruins because they had heard reports of an informant hiding there, who should have divulged information on the Begnion Army's weaknesses.

However, instead, the Begnion Army had set a trap for the Dawn Brigade. And they had nearly fallen for it too, had it not been for Micaiah's Farsight. However, Micaiah and Sothe had decided to go to the ruins, mainly because they didn't want to make the Begnion Army suspect that Micaiah could also see the future, along with her other abilities.

As the de facto head of the Dawn Brigade, it was up to Nolan to decide the Brigade's next course of action... And there was only one plan that Nolan could consider. And this plan would be unpopular with a few members of the Brigade.

"We need to lie low for the next couple of days." Nolan finally said, with a sigh, "Begnion soldiers will still be looking for us, and they'll be combing the streets of Nevassa looking for us. If we lie low..."

Edward quickly interrupted, saying loudly, "What about the people? They depend on us! We cannot abandon them, just because...!"

"Nolan's right." Sothe interrupted Edward, before saying quickly, "If the Begnion soldiers find us, then we won't be able to help anyone else. It's safer for us to lie low and wait it out."

Leonardo took a deep breath, before quietly saying, "I agree with Edward. The people need our help. Also, it's only Sothe and Micaiah that the Begnion soldiers recognised last night. Surely, Nolan, Edward and myself could still go about the streets of Nevassa, helping the people under the Dawn Brigade's name?"

"But, Leonardo..." Sothe began, "If the soldiers worked out that you're a member of the Dawn Brigade, then they could follow you back here... If that happens, then the Dawn Brigade is finished."

Meanwhile, Nolan stared intently at Micaiah, wondering which side of the debate she would agree with. On the one hand, Micaiah was a compassionate, kind person, and the thought of abandoning the citizens of Daein... That would hurt her a lot. On the other hand... She valued Sothe and Nolan's judgement, and she tended to side with them in discussions such as these.

He could see Micaiah looking at both Sothe and Leonardo, her eyes darting between the two. She took a deep breath, and placed her hands over her mouth. She was obviously deep in thought, deciding the Brigade's next course of action. Eventually, Nolan could see Micaiah sit up, and look at the table confidently. She had decided.

"I've come to a decision." Micaiah said softly, but it was enough to attract everyone's attention, "We're going to lie low. Just for the next couple of days. My Farsight told me that, if we do not lie low now, the consequences would be dire for us."

Nolan looked across the table. He saw Sothe's relieved smile, and the looks of disappointment on both Leonardo and Edward's faces. Yes, in the short run, they wouldn't be able to help the citizens of Daein. But, in the long run, they would be saving the lives of more.

* * *

 **AN- A brief summary as to why I allowed each character to choose the way they did.**

 **Leonardo and Edward- probably the ones on the table who have the strongest desire to help people, after Micaiah obviously, and they (well, Edward in particular) don't really care about the risks. Leonardo, on the other hand, recognises the risks, but also argues that Sothe and Micaiah are the only ones at risk.**

 **Nolan- Recognises the fact that the Dawn Brigade wouldn't exist without Micaiah, so putting her into danger would threaten the future of Daein.**

 **Sothe- Worried about Micaiah's safety. Doesn't want to watch her die. Also recognises the fact that the Dawn Brigade wouldn't exist without Micaiah, and doesn't want to threaten the Daein's future.**

 **Micaiah- She really, really wanted to choose not to lie low in order to help more people. However, she also valued Nolan and Sothe's judgement, and she decided that in the long run, lying low would allow her to help more people than if she didn't and was captured.**


	4. Under Grey Skies- Leonardo

Several hours had passed. Leonardo was sitting in the middle of his bed, feeling slightly annoyed. The Dawn Brigade would be lying low for the next several days, so that they didn't give away their location to the Begnion soldiers in Nevassa. But what about the people of Daein who needed their help? Were they going to be abandoned for the next several days just because Sothe, Micaiah and Nolan were too scared of those Begnion soldiers?

Unless... Something happened last night... A close call, perhaps? Had Micaiah been in danger?

Leonardo's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his bedroom door opening. He looked up, and saw Edward entering the room that they shared.

"Are you alright, Leo?" Edward said, a small smile on his face.

"Ish." Leonardo admitted, "I just think that it's a stupid idea to lie low for a couple of days and leave the citizens of Daein to the wolves."

"I agree with you there, Leo!" Edward said loudly, "We should be helping the people, not being cowards! We've done it before, so why is this time different?"

"I mean, I can see why Sothe, Nolan and Micaiah suggested the idea." Leonardo said, deep in thought, "Something major must have happened last night. Maybe they nearly captured Micaiah in those ruins? I don't knowp, but that probably explains why they're being over cautious now. But..."

"You think that Micaiah nearly got captured?" Edward asked, sounding shocked, "If that's the case, then why didn't they tell us that at the meeting?"

"I don't know. Maybe they don't want us to worry? You know what Micaiah is like. It's just hurts that they treat us like children, despite the fact that..." Leonardo began, before Edward quickly interrupted him.

"You know what?" Edward said cheerfully and quietly, "We can help the people without..."

"Are you saying we should ignore their orders and act behind their backs?" Leonardo said seriously.

"Yes, that's what I'm suggesting!" Edward said loudly, "Think about it. They're only looking for a Silver haired Maiden. Neither of us have Silver hair. Neither of us are Maidens for that matter. They won't suspect a thing..."

"But what happens if Begnion soldiers discover that we're in the Dawn Brigade?" Leonardo asked quickly, "All they would have to do is follow us back here and, well, the Dawn Brigade would be sitting ducks. Whilst I don't entirely agree with Nolan, Sothe and Micaiah's decision, I think we should wait. We should not act behind their backs, just in case something terrible happens."

"Ok then." Edward sighed, as he headed off to the cupboard in order to get his undergarments. Edward quickly took off his shirt, showing Leonardo his scar-covered back. Leonardo sighed. There was the proof that he and Edward were no longer children. They had killed people before, and they had the physical and mental scars to prove it. Micaiah didn't need to...

"Goodnight, Leo!" Edward said cheerfully, interrupting Leonardo's thoughts. Edward had put his undergarment shirt on, and was now lying down on his bed.

Meanwhile, Leonardo also lay down on his bed, before shutting his eyes, and allowing sleep to claim him.


	5. Under Grey Skies- The Battle

Several days passed. Most of the time, the Dawn Brigade stayed in their hideout, laying low and waiting for the Begnion Army to find a new target to attack. However, Edward, Leonardo and Micaiah were slowly getting restless.

The three of them wanted to help the citizens of Daein, and they were growing tired of the curfew. That was why the three of them had decided to ask Nolan and Sothe if they could carry out a small mission. The two of them said that they could, as long as they were careful.

Which is why Micaiah and Edward were waiting in a small plaza for Leonardo to return. He was currently visiting a local orphanage, delivering some food to the starving children who lived there. Meanwhile, Edward and Micaiah were keeping a lookout for Begnion soldiers. If either of them saw a Begnion Soldier, Micaiah would immediately run back to the hideout, whilst Edward would go into the orphanage and get Leonardo out.

Edward looked around the plaza. Leonardo should have left the orphanage by now. He should be here by now. So where was he? Edward said quietly, "Something must have happened to him."

"Don't worry. He'll be here." Micaiah said reassuringly, whilst looking around the plaza. Whilst it was worrying that he was late, she felt that his lateness wasn't due to Begnion soldiers.

Edward paused, deep in thought. Suddenly, he asked Micaiah quietly, "Hey, I have an idea... Micaiah, why don't you use your farsight to see when Leonardo will arrive?"

"Edward, you know that's not how it works." Micaiah said, with a smile on her face, "I foresee some things, but I don't get to choose what I see."

Edward chucked to himself, before saying, "I was just teasing! Still, Leonardo's never late. Something must have-"

However, Edward never got to finish his sentence, as a voice rang out. "H-help! Someone, please help us!" The voice said loudly.

A woman ran up to Micaiah and Edward, before saying desperately, "Bandits! Bandits are attacking the town! Run away! Who knows what the brutes will do if they catch you!"

Edward sadly sighed, running his right hand through his hair, before saying, "Where is the Imperial Occupation Army this time? How can they keep the peace when they're nowhere to be found?"

The lady scoffed, before saying angrily, "Who, the Begnion soldiers?! Hah! They don't care a lick about us! We lost the war, and they won. We're nothing to them. They're only interested in chasing down the Dawn Brigade. They let the real Bandits run wild and brutalize us."

Edward said quickly, "They're worse than useless! We'll be glad to help you. Just find someplace to hide, and leave those bandits to us."

"And don't worry about us. We happen to be members of that same Dawn Brigade that the Begnion troops are so interested in!" Micaiah added, with a small smile on her face.

A young boy, around seven years old, gasped. He quickly said, sounding excited, "What! Really?! You guys are in the Dawn Brigade?! Wow, my friends and I talk about you all the time!"

The lady, meanwhile, sadly said, "You? But you're just children! Oh, how Daein has fallen... Children, forced to fight and steal for the good of the poor. But we can't fight the rogues, so we'll take you up on your offer. Please be careful. They'll slice clean through you if they can."

Edward and Micaiah nodded, before they ran across the plaza, looking for the Bandits that were plaguing the town. Eventually, they saw a group of tall, beefy men wielding axes standing in the corner of the plaza. They were looking around the plaza, presumably for Begnion soldiers. When they were satisfied that there were no Begnion soldiers in the local vicinity, they got into position.

"Listen up, you louts! This town is nothin' but idiot kids and drooling graybeards. Steal everything you can!" One of the bandits ordered. Micaiah and Edward presumed that he was the leader of the Bandit's group. He was especially tall, with dirty blond hair and a scowl on his ugly, ugly face. He wouldn't be winning any beauty pageants any time soon.

"Yune, it's dangerous here. Go find someplace safe for now." Micaiah said softly, allowing the small bird to fly away to safety. After that, she turned to Edward, and said quickly, "All right, Edward. The usual plan of attack?"

Edward said enthusiastically, "Yup! You strike the brutes from afar with your magic. But be sure not to get too close to them. Then, I'll move in when they're weak. That's the safest strategy."

"I'm ready. You and I should be more than a match for them. Let's go!" Micaiah said, before slowly moving towards the soldiers. She quietly opened her Light Tome, muttering the incantation of the spell she was about to cast. A golden light danced across her slender hand, as she pointed it towards the nearest Bandit.

The golden light shot out of her hand, piercing the bandit in the chest. The bandit turned around, and saw Micaiah standing there, preparing to cast another spell. However, before he got the chance to do anything, Edward placed his sword against the bandit's throat.

The Bandit fell to the ground soon after, blood pouring out of a wound on his throat. He was obviously dead.

By now, the other Bandits were aware of Edward and Micaiah's presence. They quickly moved towards the two members of the Dawn Brigade, with the intention of avenging their fallen friend. Micaiah by now had prepared her second spell, and she shot another beam of light at the Bandit nearest to her.

She missed.

And she didn't have time to prepare another spell.

Edward, noticing that Micaiah was in danger, charged towards the Bandit that was rapidly approaching Micaiah. As the bandit raised his axe, Edward intercepted the bandit's attack, as the sound of iron clashing against steel rang out in the otherwise quiet plaza. Edward stared into the Bandit's eyes, struggling to hold on, struggling to stop the axe from cutting him in half...

As a beam of light hit the Bandit square in the forehead. The bandit staggered backwards, dropping his axe in the process. Edward reacted to the changing situation quickly, immediately seizing the opportunity to stab the dazed bandit in the chest. The Bandit slumped on the edge of Edward's Crimson blade. Edward quickly removed his sword from the Bandit's chest, allowing the Bandit's corpse to fall to the ground.

Micaiah meanwhile had set her sights on her next target. She quickly muttered the incarnation, and allowed the magic to flow through her body as she aimed a fourth beam of light at another bandit. The bandit didn't even get the chance to react, as the spell instantly killed him.

As Micaiah began to prepare her next spell, a scream broke her concentration. Edward's screams. She looked around, and saw that a Bandit had stuck an axe into Edward's left shoulder, and saw that Edward's shirt was now stained a darker shade of red. However, Edward had also stuck his blade into the same bandit's chest. Micaiah could instantly tell that that wound was fatal, and that the Bandit would soon be dead.

She ran towards Edward. She needed to use Sacrifice. Edward needed healing. She had a spare Herb on her. She would be be fine afterwards.

Edward, meanwhile, had removed the axe from his shoulder and his sword from the Bandit's chest. He weakly staggered towards Micaiah, before collapsing onto the ground. His eyelids began to flutter, as his vision blurred. He could faintly see Micaiah run towards him, before kneeling down by his side. A second later, a burning pain began to dance across his shoulder, as a silver light blinded him.

Micaiah was using Sacrifice.

That was dangerous. Micaiah was weakening herself in the process of giving Edward health and renewed strength. As well as this, Micaiah was using her ability in a public place. Micaiah shouldn't let people know about her special ability... If Begnion soldiers arrived right now, they would instantly know that she was the Silver Haired Maiden. The Silver Haired Maiden was the only person who could heal without a staff...

However, Edward's vision began to clear, as he felt refreshed. He quickly picked up his sword, and then shielded Micaiah while she was weakened by that Sacrifice.

By the time Leonardo arrived, the plaza was mostly empty. Leonardo was confused by this fact. Where had everyone gone? This place was always busy, no matter what time or day it was...

Unless Bandits had arrived in order to sack the town. Again.

Leonardo ran towards the other side of the Plaza, looking for Micaiah and Edward. They were probably fighting these bandits off in order to save the townspeople. So much for being careful...

Finally, he could see them. Edward was busy shielding Micaiah, who was sitting on one of the Plaza steps. She was searching a small bag for something, presumably a healing herb. Meanwhile, the plaza was stained red with blood, and was littered with corpses.

In the distance, Leonardo could see another four bandits walking towards the two members of the Dawn Brigade. Leonardo quickly lifted up his bow, and got an out an arrow. He aimed his bow at one of the bandits, before releasing the arrow. The arrow quickly found its target, and buried itself deep within one of the bandit's throat. The bandit fell down to the ground, and he didn't get back up.

Leonardo ran towards Edward and Micaiah, shouting at the two of them in the process. "Micaiah!" He shouted, causing Micaiah and Edward to turn around.

"Leonardo! How did you find us?" Micaiah said cheerfully.

Leonardo smiled, before saying "A little bird told me. Yours, in fact." Yune chirped merrily, happy to be of assistance. Leonardo then said seriously, "What were you two thinking, taking on these bandits alone? That's beyond reckless."

"I'm sorry, Leonardo. We couldn't just leave the helpless villagers to these monsters. Please, help us fight them." Micaiah said in apology, before she turned her attention back towards the Bandits. She quickly prepared another spell, before aiming a beam of light at one of the three bandits left, weakening him. Leonardo quickly seized the opportunity to fire a second arrow at the weakened bandit, killing him.

Meanwhile, another bandit cried out, as Edward stuck his blade into the guy's stomach. Edward quickly removed his blade, and the bandit tried desperately to keep his intestines inside of his body. Edward quickly slit the bandit's throat, putting him out of his misery.

It was just the leader left.

Micaiah quickly approached the leader, who muttered something about wanting to sell Micaiah for a pretty penny, probably to a Begnion General. However, Micaiah quickly muttered another incantation, and another beam of light hit the Bandit's leader square in the chest, killing him instantly.

The battle was over.

Edward said enthusiastically, "Fantastic! We won! It's just like you said, Micaiah. They were no match for us!"

"Yune, come here." Micaiah said quietly, and Yune chirped happily in response.

A random voice shouted out merrily, "You did it!"

The lady from earlier, meanwhile, said quietly, "Thank you so much! We owe you our lives."

"You there! What are you doing? Stop immediately!" The shouts of a Begnion soldier instantly destroyed the happy atmosphere. Micaiah looked at Edward and Leonardo. They leaded to leave. Now.

Edward said quietly to the group, "Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up... Begnion soldiers. They certainly took their time, didn't they?"

Leonardo added quickly, "We mustn't be caught. Micaiah! Edward! Make a break for it. Run!"

"I'm sorry. We have to leave." Micaiah said apologetically to the citizens they had helped.

The woman said, in an understanding tone, "I know. Thank you again for all you've done. Now, go! Run!"

The young boy meanwhile, said, "Hey, lady! My name's Nico! When I grow up, I want to be just like you guys! Come back sometime!"

But by then, the three of them had gone.


	6. Under Grey Skies- Jarod enters this tale

A tall man with short dark hair, meanwhile, watched the scene with a curious expression on his face. What was exactly going on here? Why were these two idiots shouting at random civilians, instead of going in there and actually doing something? He walked up to two Begnion soldiers, and listened to one of them shout, "Hold it! Stop right there!"

"Who are you bellowing at, soldier?" The man asked quietly, whispering menacingly into the soldier's ear.

The first Begnion Soldier looked up, before saying loudly, "General Jarod!? Wh-when did you arrive?"

"Answer my question, maggot. I want to know who you were yelling at and why you did nothing but yell at them." Jarod asked quickly, glaring at the soldier.

The first Begnion Soldier stood up to attention, saying "S-sorry, sir. We suspect they were from the Dawn Brigade, a band of thieves that targets goods levied from the town. People say they give what they've stolen back to the villagers and strut around acting like heroes."

The second Begnion soldier added, "They're said to have a witch among them, a girl called the Silver-Haired Maiden. They say she can heal wounds instantly by laying her hands on any injury. Townspeople treat her like a savior."

"And? What have you been doing about this band of fools?" Jarod said curiously. This so called 'Silver-Haired Maiden' and this 'Dawn Brigade' intrigued him. Finally, there was a band of fools who were trying to inspire foolish hope. They wouldn't last long whilst _he_ was here.

The first Begnion Soldier quietly admitted, "Sir. A few days ago we set a trap for them, in the ruins north of Nevassa. We found a girl much like the Silver-Haired Maiden... We got our hands on her, but they were cunning and cautious, and ...we lost them."

"I see. I'm beginning to understand." Jarod said, in a scathing tone.

The first Begnion Soldier asked quickly, "How do you mean, sir?"

"I'm beginning to understand exactly how incompetent you all are!" Jarod said accusingly, causing the soldier to make some sort of groaning sound. Meanwhile, Jarod turned to another Begnion soldier, before shouting "You! You there! Make the villagers talk. I want to know who these bandits are and where they're hiding."

The second soldier stuttered out his reply. "Y-yes, sir! Understood, sir!" Jarod curled his lip at the sight of the snivelling Begnion solider. Pathetic. They were absolutely pathetic. No wonder that 'Dawn Brigade' we're running amok in Daein.

"I don't care who they are. The more kick they have in them, the more fun for us, don't you think, sir?" Another soldier, with dark hair, said quietly. Jarod gave a small smile. This soldier had some promise.

"Precisely. Overseeing this dusty old town is wearing thin. A little fresh game is just what I need." Jarod said darkly, before he and the three soldiers combed the streets, looking for some villagers to... "Interrogate" for information.

* * *

 **Well, despite the fact that this is where the Prologue ends in Radiant Dawn, I still haven't finished with the Prologue just yet. Three more sections, and then the Prologue is finished. :)**


	7. Under Grey Skies- The new Arrival

Meanwhile, one young adult was making her way into Daein.

She was a short young woman, with light brown hair tied up into two small buns. She had left her small village in Crimea, and had just arrived on the boarder with Daein. Her father had promised that her future husband was living in Daein. A man named Zihark. She wanted to meet him. She was excited to meet him. Apparently, he was a kind, brave and honest man. The perfect husband for a woman like her. She just hoped that she looked her best for when she finally met him.

Her excitement grew as she slowly began to cross the bridge (a bridge which everyone loved installing pitfalls in, for some strange reason), lugging her armour, her sword and her possessions with her. She was one step closer (literally) to meeting the love of her life. She was one step closer to marrying her future husband.

However, as she crossed the large, but quiet bridge, she also began to grow nervous. She had heard rumours that Begnion was treating the people of Daein unfairly, and rumours of atrocities were becoming more common in Crimea. Would she be safe? Would Begnion treat her differently, just because she was Crimean? Or would they treat her unfairly as well?

She didn't know.

All she knew was that her future husband was somewhere in Daein.

She just had to find him.

* * *

 **AN- Yes, this is Meg's introduction into the story!**

 **...**

 **Yes, one of the " _most_ _popular"_ characters in Radiant Dawn... **

**Actually, writing Meg has been an interesting process. Apart from her obsession with Zihark, the Fire Emblem Wiki didn't have much on her personality (at least she had a personality section on her page, unlike Fiona.) That part of her character will still be in this story. However, I am trying to make her a more rounded character, so her obsession with Zihark won't be the only aspect of her character.**

 **Also- yes, I know that the Author's Note is probably going to be longer than the main chapter itself, but seriously, thank you guys. Today, when I started uploading more of the Prologue, this fic was at 31 views. Last time I looked, it was at 89 views. I know that, compared to some other fanfics out there (as well as some of my own fanfics) 89 views isn't much. But damn, each view, each favourite, each follow and each review... It means a lot. Thank you guys. You're amazing. :)**


	8. Under Grey Skies- The tortured soul

A young man, with short green coloured hair, stood by the Gallows, as he watched the latest batch of "Rebels" walk up to be hanged. He didn't really want to be here, and he knew that what the Begnion Occupational Army was doing in Daein was immoral, despicable even. However... He couldn't betray Begnion. They had raised him from a young age. They had given him a decent education. They had given him a job in the Begnion Occupational Army. He felt the need to express his gratitude for the graces that Begnion had given him.

Ashera must hate him for this. She must hate him for standing there, passively watching the lives of innocents being taken. She must hate him for all of the lives he had taken actively. She must hate him for betraying his people.

The young man shut his eyes, as he could hear the executioner speaking. The hangings were about to begin. Soon... Soon there would be another couple of dozen corpses to bury, another couple of dozen grieving families to deal with. He hated that part. He hated to tell those families that their fathers, siblings, children, were guilty of treason when they were actually innocent civilians who were standing up for what was right...

The sounds of cheers suddenly filled the air. The young man opened his eyes, and saw several corpses dangling on the ropes of the Gallows. One word occupied his thoughts. Why? Why were the Begnion Occupational Army so awful in their treatment of Daein's citizens? Why did the soldiers enjoy the thought of killing Daein Rebels so much? Why...

"Are you ok, Aran?" Another soldier gently tapped the young man's shoulder, shaking him out of his thoughts.

"I'm... Fine. I'm just not used... To all of the death yet." Aran said weakly.

The other soldier nodded, before saying, "It takes a while to get used to, doesn't it? If you want to talk about it, I'll be willing to listen."

Aran nodded, and muttered, "Thank you", before he headed up to his dormitory, and prepared for the nightmares that would visit him tonight.

* * *

 **Reply to Sangheilix: (^.^) Thank you. :) I am actually really enjoying writing this. One of the reasons why I've seen a lot of people dislike the Dawn Brigade is because some of them don't have much personality compared to the Greil Mercenaries (There are other reasons, but I'll get to those ones later), so actually fleshing out these characters is really fun. :)**

 **I'll need to read that at some point. :) The Premise sounded interesting. :)**

 **I hope it does! :) The Dawn Brigade needs all the love it can get in this fandom. :) And I trust you on that. :)**


	9. Under Grey Skies- Faith

A young woman with short dark hair tended to the flowers in her Church. She had heard rumours of a small group of bandits that were trying to help the people by stealing and attacking the Begnion Occupational Army. What was their name? The Dawn Brigade?

Yes, what the Begnion Occupational Army was doing in Daein was... Terrible. But... But the violence those Dawn Bandits used... It wasn't right.

She walked towards the altar, before kneeling down in front of it. She gently took a breath, before she softly said, "Lady Ashera, the guardian of light. Thank you for the villagers' good health and for our security. But, Lady Ashera, as a simple Priestess, I am not able to help everyone. Please, can you allow the Begnion soldiers to understand that we deserve a better treatment? Please, can I pray for renewed hope, a sign of a better tomorrow? I know that I am one of the lucky ones and that the majority of Daein's citizens are struggling to survive. So please..."

"What are you praying for, Laura?" Laura stood up at the sound of the Abbot's voice. She quickly wiped away her tears, before she turned to face the head priest.

She took a deep breath, before quietly saying the word, "Hope."

After that, she walked away from both the altar and the Abbot, whilst deep in thought.

She had been praying for the same thing for the last three years. All she wanted was for the people of Daein to be free, and for the Begnion Occupational Army to understand that that the citizens of Daein were people too. However... Everywhere she looked, all she could see was the lives of Daein's people getting worse and worse as the Occupational Army squandered everything that Daein had.

It was at times like this where Laura lost hope. She lost hope for Peace, she lost hope for a brighter future for Daein and its people. But most importantly, she was beginning to lose hope that the decrees of Ashera could be changed by her prayers.

And it was times like these where Laura lost faith. Why... Why should she continue to pray to a Goddess that did not help the people she had created? Why should she pray to a Goddess that allowed evil to prevail and good to die? Why...

" _Laura, stop_." She mentally chastised herself, " _Ashura must have her reasons for allowing this. I...I cannot question divine providence. I'm just a mere, imperfect mortal who doesn't understand. She is a perfect, immortal being that is all-knowing. I cannot question her decisions_."

She took a deep breath, and felt renewed faith fill her heart, before she walked into the village in order to help the people that needed her.

* * *

 **AN: So, that's the end of the Prologue! Chapter 1 has been written, but I'm waiting until I finish Chapter 2 before I release it! And, seeing that I've started working on Chapter 2, I guess I am continuing. :)**

 **Of course, if anyone wants to post a review and say what they like/dislike about this chapter, then I can start working on your feedback and make this work even better. :) (Though, if anyone asks for Ike... Ike will be in this fanfic if I continue it... But it will not be for a while.)**

 **I hope that you enjoy it, and hopefully I'll be able to post chapter 1 soon!**

 **TMGxx**


	10. Maiden of Miracles- The Day After

**Well... Here's Chapter 1. _Slightly_ later than I originally planned, but then I had several very long exams to prepare for (the shortest ones were _two hours_ long, which is why I'm glad that I passed all of them woul having to re-sit), plus moving and by the time I had time to write this, I actually lost track of what I was doing and how many people died in Chapter 2.**

 **But I finished Chapter 2 today, and so I can start posting Chapter 1 on here. I'm kinda happy with both this chapter and the next chapter (especially how many subplots Chapter 2 has given me)**

 **Anyways- I hope that you enjoy this Chapter (which will be released in 7 parts) and that you continue to enjoy reading future chapters.**

* * *

"How should we explain yesterday to Sothe and Nolan?" Micaiah asked quietly to Leonardo and Edward. They were originally planning to explain yesterday's events to Nolan and Sothe when they got back from the orphanage, but it turned out that Nolan and Sothe had also gone on a mission and the two of them would be back in the morning.

They didn't know that the Begnion soldiers had seen them.

Leonardo took a deep breath, before saying "It's like you said. We didn't have a choice. We had to save Nico and the townsfolk. But I admit, getting spotted by those Begnion soldiers was unfortunate. Still, I'd do it all over again. The worst part is they know we're near. They could find this hideout easily."

Edward put his feet up on the table, and rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. He said quietly, "I just don't get it. This is our country... Why do we have to live in hiding, like prisoners in our own land?"

Leonardo muttered seriously, "Come on, you know why. We lost the war... and Crimea won. It's not our country anymore. End of story."

Edward angrily replied, "Except that Crimea walked away after winning, leaving those heartless Begnion dogs to rule our country for the last three years! The occupying soldiers march around like they own the place, doing whatever they want, and no one dares to stop them!"

"To be fair, Crimea didn't have the resources to rule another country." The three of them looked up at the sound of Sothe's voice. Both of them were back. They needed to talk. Now.

"Sothe! And Nolan, too! Welcome back. I'm glad you made it in one piece." Micaiah said, sound relieved to see her two companions back in one piece.

Leonardo added, with a small smile, "At last, the Dawn Brigade is all present. But you are unusually late. Were you delayed?"

"I think our fame's catching up with us. Begnion patrols are everywhere. It took us a while to avoid them." Sothe muttered.

"I've never seen so much Begnion activity in this area before. Is there...something we should know?" Nolan asked thoughtfully.

Edward, Micaiah and Leonardo looked at each other awkwardly. Eventually, Leonardo said, with a stutter, "Um, well, actually, the truth is..."

With that, the three of them explained everything to Sothe and Nolan. The distressed civilians. The Bandits. Getting seen by Begnion soldiers. Having to escape. Meanwhile, Sothe and Nolan looked at each other, as they realised the grave situation that the Dawn brigade were in.

This wasn't good.

"Ah, that's what did it. You had a run-in with bandits?" Nolan said, attempting to sum the whole story up in a few words.

"And Begnion soldiers spotted us as we made our escape. I'm sorry. We only wanted to help. We were careless." Micaiah added, sounding apologetic.

"We'll worry about that later. More importantly, Micaiah, were you seen healing anyone with Sacrifice?" Sothe said, praying that Micaiah had not used Sacrifice.

"I'm afraid so." Micaiah slowly admitted, remembering the Sacrifice she used on Edward. Sothe glared at her.

"You can't allow anyone to know what you can do. Healing without any tomes or staves is a rare gift-almost unheard of. If anyone saw you doing it, you'd be given away immediately, and I don't know if I could keep you safe." Sothe said quietly.

"I know, Sothe." Micaiah said quietly. She knew that she shouldn't use Sacrifice in public. But if she hadn't... Edward would have been dead. They would have been planning a burial instead.

"I know you know, but you keep doing it!" Sothe said angrily. He turned towards Nolan, and added "This place isn't safe anymore. We should leave at once."

"Correct. Ah, but it would have been nice to eat just one meal in peace..." Nolan said, sounding sad at the prospect of abandoning their hideout.

They were given little time to pack. Each of them only had 10 minutes to pack, and anything they couldn't pack, they were to discard immediately.

Luckily for Leonardo, he had little to pack. Apart from some gold and his bow and arrows, he just had one change of clothes, a small teddy bear his older brother had given him when Leonardo was a baby and a small diary that he had been writing in for over a decade.

For Edward, he had slightly more to pack. He took a small bag of gold, two changes of clothes, a couple of swords, a journal that he'd been writing in for several years, a couple of letters from some of his childhood friends (who he had since lost contact with) and a small box Leonardo had bought him when they first met. However, he was still able to pack his objects

Sothe, on the other hand, had always had a bag packed, just in case Begnion soldiers found the Dawn Brigade's Hideout. Inside his bag he had some coinage, a couple of knives, some small items which had sentimental value and one spare change of clothes. Nothing more. Unsurprisingly, he was the first one to finish packing.

Micaiah also packed light. One spare change of clothes, two Light Tomes and some coinage were the only three things she decided to take with her. She didn't have much else apart from that, despite the fact that she was the Silver Haired Maiden. Perhaps, she mused, it was because she always knew that she'd have to leave at some point, and go somewhere where no one knew that she was Branded. Therefore she didn't want to hoard too much stuff.

Surprisingly, Nolan was the last one to finish packing. Like the others, he packed a spare set of clothes, a couple of axes, some gold and a few objects of sentimental value. The difficulty Nolan had was deciding which books to take with him and which ones to leave behind. In the end, he took the books that he hadn't read yet with him, leaving the ones he had read behind.

After the ten minutes were up, the five of them met up in the kitchen. Sothe immediately headed out of the house, as he was planning to climb onto the rooftops and see if he could spot an escape path from up there.

Meanwhile, Micaiah, Nolan, Leonardo and Edward decided to comb the streets, looking for an alleyway that Begnion soldiers were not present in.


	11. Maiden of Miracles- Street Skirmish

A quarter of an hour later, and the four of them had finally searched every alleyway for a way out. Edward sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand. He sighed again, before muttering, "This way's no good either. Begnion soldiers have every alleyway blocked. A kitten couldn't sneak past them."

"It looks like this really is the least guarded path, then. Even so, it's swarming with soldiers." Nolan said, taking a deep breath. Nothing looked good. But they needed a practical solution now.

"There are more coming up behind us! We'll be trapped if we don't move quickly!" Micaiah said quietly, trying not to attract the attention of the guards.

"We can't wait for Sothe." Nolan said quickly, before saying, "The stairs by the church lead to the marketplace. We can break through there. I'll go first and secure the way. Micaiah and Leonardo, cover my back! Remember to keep your distance from the enemy. Team up and bring them down one by one!"

"We'll be careful." Micaiah replied, as she clutched her Light Tome in her hands.

Leonardo added, readying his bow, "Leave it to us."

"Edward, you bring up the rear. Your skills have improved, but you're still new to fighting. Don't rush the enemy. Just focus on surviving their attacks. Got it?" Nolan asked the youngest member of the Dawn Brigade.

Edward said quietly, as he tightly held on to his sword, "Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Nolan charged towards the nearest opponent, a Begnion soldier, before deflecting the soldier's lance and swinging his axe into the soldier's chest. The soldier howled out in pain, dropping his lance and placing his right hand onto the wound. Leonardo meanwhile, immediately got his bow ready, and aimed an arrow straight into the soldier's throat. The soldier slowly fell to the ground, and stopped moving.

Edward meanwhile got his sword ready, as he stood in position, defending Leonardo from being attacked by two Begnion fighters. Micaiah stood behind Edward, as she got out her Light Tome, preparing to attack the Fighter when he approached them.

On the other end of the battlefield, a Begnion Fighter shouted at his boss, "Captain Isaiya! Just as you said. A group that appears to be the Dawn Brigade is storming the alley!"

"How generous of them. I'll wipe them out and advertise my exploits to our commanders back home." Isaiya said, with a smug smile on his face.

One of the two Begnion fighters approached Edward soon after, swinging his axe at Edward. Edward promptly deflected the attack, before he thrust his sword straight into the Fighter's belly. He took the blade out of the Fighter, before slashing the Fighter across the chest. The fighter knelt on the ground, and looked in horror at his bloodstained hands. Micaiah swore that she heard him mutter something about never being able to see his newborn son, before he gently fell to the ground.

He would be dead soon.

The second fighter, on the other hand, had struck Edward in his right hand, causing Edward to drop his sword to the ground. The Fighter smiled, raising his axe. However, Micaiah quickly fired a bolt of light at the second fighter's left hand, which caused the fighter to also drop his axe, allowing Edward the opportunity to pick up his sword and stab the Fighter in the heart.

Once that fighter was dead, Micaiah immediately used Sacrifice, healing Edward's wounds whilst suffering injuries of her own. Not that she minded. Her friends were more important than she was, even though she was the Silver Haired Maiden.

Up ahead, Nolan and Leonardo could see three Fighters waiting for them. Whilst Nolan stood in position, waiting for the Fighters to charge towards him, Leonardo quickly slipped into the nearest house and came out moments later, clutching a Hand Axe which he quickly handed over to Nolan.

"Thanks kid." Nolan said, with a smile, whilst preparing to throw the axe at the first Fighter who approached him. Nolan took a deep breath as the first fighter edged towards him. A second later, Nolan released the Axe and watched the Axe sink into the Fighter's chest. Nolan quickly pulled the Hand Axe out, and used his sleeve to wipe the blood off. He then stuck his steel axe into the Fighter's chest in order to make sure that he was dead.

Leonardo, meanwhile, readied his bow. From out of the corner of his eye, he could see the second Fighter running towards him whilst raising his axe. Leonardo quickly dodged out of the way, before shooting an arrow straight into the Fighter's throat. The Fighter stupidly decided to pull the arrow out, allowing the blood to flow freely. As soon as the Fighter turned to look at Leonardo, with a look of despair, Leonardo released a second arrow. The second arrow went straight through the Fighter's right eye. The Fighter slowly fell to the ground, and stopped moving shortly after.

By this point, Micaiah and Edward had approached their two allies, and both were ready to enter the battle. The third Fighter didn't even stand a chance. One Light spell to the chest, and he was killed instantly.

There were just five enemies left.

Nolan charged towards the Second soldier, swinging his axe at the soldier's head. The soldier tried to dodge Nolan's attack, but by then he was too late. Nolan's axe sliced through the Soldier's neck, and the Soldier's head fell to the ground. The rest of the Soldier's corpse fell to the ground shortly afterwards.

Four enemies left.

By then, Micaiah and Edward were finally on the front lines, ready to assist Nolan and Leonardo in their escape. Micaiah in particular was ready to help her allies, either by attacking their foes, or healing her allies when they were weak.

Leonardo screamed. Micaiah turned around and saw that a Begnion Fighter had struck Leonardo in the chest, and blood was slowly starting to dye his blue shirt a deep, dark red. Leonardo collapsed to the ground, dropping his bow in the process. The Fighter smiled, getting ready to deal the killing blow...

Suddenly, Micaiah could see a sword sticking through the Fighter's Chest. As the Fighter slumped forward on the sword, she could see Edward standing behind the Fighter. Edward quickly removed his sword from the Fighter's chest, before kicking the dying man onto the ground.

"Nobody harms my friends." Edward quietly muttered into the Fighter's ear. Edward quickly bent over, and picked up the unconscious Leonardo. After he had done so, he ran towards Micaiah, and placed Leonardo by her feet.

Edward looked up at Micaiah, before muttering, with tears in his eyes, "Please...Please save him."

"I'll try." Micaiah said weakly, before kneeling down by Leonardo's side. She shut her eyes, and allowed the power of Sacrifice to run through her body. She slightly opened her eyes, and saw that Leonardo's body was bathed in a silver light. She quickly unbuttoned his shirt, and saw that the wounds had already began to heal.

A second later, Leonardo's eyelids fluttered open. He looked up at Micaiah, and quietly said, "Thank...you."

"That's ok." Micaiah said quietly in response, before looking up to see how the rest of the battle was going.

She could only see two enemies. A fighter and a Myrmidon. She presumed that either Nolan or Edward had taken down the Archer. Presumably to protect her and Leonardo. Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later, when she saw the Archer's corpse lying down in the middle of the alley way.

She ran towards the corpse, trying not to breathe in the smell of blood. She bent down, before prising the bow out of the Archer's cold, stiff hands. She then quickly removed the remaining Arrows from the Archer's quiver, before giving them to Leonardo. Leonardo ran towards Nolan and Edward, allowing Micaiah to eat a quick herb in order to restore her health.

By the time Leonardo approached his other two allies, Edward was in the process of blocking the Myrmidon, whilst Nolan was removing his Axe from the chest of his opponent. The final Fighter was dead.

Leonardo quickly got out his new bow, and quickly pulled out an arrow. Several seconds later, he fired an arrow, which sunk deeply into the Myrmidon's right shoulder. The Myrmidon gasped, dropping his sword in the process. Edward quickly seized the opportunity, and stabbed the Myrmidon in the heart.

It was all over.

"Everybody...this way!" The four of them could hear Sothe's voice. A second later, they saw Sothe pointing at a particular street. The four of them ran after Sothe, trying to make sure that they wouldn't get captured by the Begnion Occupational Army. None of them wanted to die before they saw Daein liberated.

A Begnion Soldier called out, "They're running to the center of town! After them!"

This just caused the Dawn Brigade to run faster, as they pushed past crowds of Daein citizens, hoping that, if they got lost within the crowd, the Begnion Occupational Army wouldn't be able to find them.

"Good work! I see the market. If we can blend into the crowd, they'll lose us, and we'll be free and clear." Nolan said quietly, with a small smile on his face.

Suddenly, a young boy approached them, before whispering, "Hey, lady!"

"Nico!" Micaiah said quietly, feeling both happy and worried. Happy, because Nico was a nice kid. Worried, because he could possibly give their location away.

Meanwhile, the lady from before said quietly, "They're after you again, aren't they?"

Micaiah nodded.

Nico said quickly, "Are you and your friends all right?"

Micaiah nodded again.

"Shit! Where'd they go?!" The voice of a Begnion soldier rang out. Micaiah looked up, a look of fear evident on her face. They were getting closer to where the Dawn Brigade we're currently hiding. If they were seen...

A voice said quietly, "Leave the soldiers to us. Go on, now. Get yourselves to safety." Micaiah looked up, and saw a man, presumably Nico's grandfather, smiling at her.

The Lady added, "Quickly - don't dawdle. You must escape. You're our only hope."

"Thank you so much!" Micaiah whispered happily, before the five of them ran as far away as they could go.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Micaiah could hear a Begnion soldier shout, "Wait! There they go! Catch them! What are you stopping for?"

"W-well, they..." A second Begnion soldier said quietly.

The lady shouted loudly, "You won't get past us! We stand by the Dawn Brigade."

Nico added loudly, "That's right! Goddess protect the Dawn Brigade!"

Meanwhile, the five members of the Dawn Brigade were running down another alley way. They were nearly out. They were getting close to the outskirts of Nevassa. Soon, they would be safe, though they wouldn't have their safe house anymore. However, Micaiah felt uneasy... It was as if...

"Wait! Something terrible is about to happen!" She said urgently.

"What is it?" Sothe asked quietly, obviously worried for Micaiah.

"...No! We have to go back." Micaiah whispered, turning around and running in the other direction. Back towards the Begnion soldiers. Sothe ordered the others to get out of the city, as he ran after Micaiah.

As the two of them approached the small market square, they could hear a Begnion soldier shout,

"What?! You're letting this rabble stop you? Ready your bows! Nobody defies the will of Begnion." A second later, the first ballista was fired. An arrow stuck Nico straight in the chest. Nico fell to the ground, blood slowly pouring out of the wound. Micaiah quietly gasped, quickly placing her right hand on her mouth. Meanwhile, Sothe muttered several swear words under his breath, cursing the Begnion pigs for what they had done.

Suddenly, an old woman shouted, "No! How could you shoot a child? You vicious savages!"

The lady cried out, "Someone! Someone, help him, quickly! Please...this child is dying!"

"Pay heed! This is what happens when you meddle in Begnion affairs of state. Remember it well!" The second Begnion soldier warned the crowd.

A man replied angrily, "I didn't realize that the Begnion Empire's affairs of state included murdering children in the street!"

"Don't point your fingers at us. We're just doing our job. If you're upset, blame it on the Dawn Brigade! They made this happen!" The Begnion soldier shouted back, hoping that the crowd would turn on the Dawn Brigade and support Begnion instead.

By this point, Micaiah and Sothe had pushed their way to the front of the crowd, and they getting closer to where the dying Nico lay. The Begnion soldier, after spotting the two of them, shouted, "It's the girl we're looking for! Call for reinforcements! Surround and arrest every last one of them..."

Micaiah ignored the Begnion soldier, and knelt down by Nico's side. She quickly shut her eyes, and allowed the power of Sacrifice to flow through her veins once more. A second later, she slightly opened her eyes, and saw a gentle silver light dancing across Nico's chest.

"What's happening?! What does she think she's doing?! Hey, you, step away from that child!" The soldier ordered, trying to push his way into the crowd.

Nico's eyelids slowly opened, as the wound quickly closed. He sat up, and looked at the stunned crowd. Nearby, he could see Micaiah, his hero, looking at him with a small smile on her face. Nico smiled back. She came back to save him! This was incredible!

Meanwhile, Nico's grandfather said happily, "It... it's a miracle. We've seen a miracle today!"

Another man added quietly, "That was Sacrifice..."

The lady said loudly, with a smile on her face, "That girl! She must be the Silver- Haired Maiden. Only she possesses Sacrifice!"

However, Micaiah felt dizzy. She had overused her abilities... Everything was growing...dark. She collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. Sothe quickly noticed what had happened, and picked her up, before running away from the crowds, away from the soldiers and towards safety.

"Stop right there! After them! We can't let them get away!" The Begnion soldier ordered angrily.

The man shook his head, before saying calmly, "We still stand by the Dawn Brigade."

"What is wrong with you people?! Did you hear me?! Clear a path, or you'll end up like that kid!" The soldier ordered again.

"You sniveling idiots! Why are you just standing there?! Give chase. Now!" Jarod said with a snarl. He looked at his idiotic subordinate, and wondered who on Tellius had let that subordinate join the army in the first place. Whoever recruited that idiot should be stabbed. Multiple times. Maybe thrown off a cliff for good measure.

The soldier stammered quietly, "Yes, sir! We would like to, sir, but... the townspeople are blocking our way."

"Oh... I see. The townspeople are blocking your way. You dullards!" Jarod said angrily, mentally deciding that the person who recruited that idiot should also be tortured. He then said loudly, " Clean out those dirty ears and listen to me! You are soldiers, and I am your commander! You will follow my orders promptly and without hesitation. Understand, you useless vermin? Now, move!"

The soldiers nodded, immediately trying to disperse the crowd again, this time with a little more success.

"Unbelievable! If it's not one thing, it's another. Why am I always stuck leading the buffoons?" Jarod angrily muttered to himself, before deciding that he needed to make an example of some of these civilians. No one should try to interfere in Begnion's affairs. Those who tried should face death.


	12. Maiden of Miracles-Invitation to Torture

Aran watched, as his superiors brought in a new prisoner. He heard that the Dawn Brigade had escaped Nevassa earlier in the day, and it was all because the townspeople had let them get away. The new prisoner was one of the people who had aided the Dawn Brigade in their escape.

Aran quietly swallowed. He should see this man as a threat to national security, an evil man who deserved to be punished, a traitor. But he couldn't. What Aran could see was a son, a father, a good man. He didn't deserve this.

"Private Aran." One of his superiors called his name. Aran felt his body stiffen as he looked up, and saw Officer Benedict looking at him with a serious expression on his face.

Aran considered his words carefully. Eventually he said, "Yes, sir? What do you want from me?"

"You've been given a special opportunity." Officer Benedict said calmly, "You're being allowed to watch our newest prisoner, a man called Percy, being tortured. Maybe he can give us more information on where the Dawn Brigade are hiding."

Aran immediately felt sick. He...he couldn't. Percy...Percy was a Daein citizen, just like Aran used to be, before he was adopted by Begnion merchants. He...

"What's up, Private?" Officer Benedict said calmly, "You don't want to help torture a criminal? Perhaps you're a spy, sent by the Dawn Brigade to gather Intel on us?"

Aran shook his head, and calmed himself down. Eventually, he said, "I'm not used to blood, that's all. I'll probably be fine though...once I get in there."

"Excellent! Tobias is waiting for you!" Officer Benedict said happily, grabbing Aran's left arm. Aran could feel himself being dragged towards the torture chamber, where he would help make an innocent man suffer.

* * *

 **Originally, I was going to write the torture scene, but... The image in my head of said torture scene made me feel queasy.**

 **Anyways- OppositesExist, thank you for the multiple reviews. :) I was slightly stunned when I first saw the amount of reviews this fic had quintuple, but I'm also happy. :) Trust me, there are things that I will be changing regarding the Dawn Brigade.**

 **One of those things is that they won't be just following Pelleas' every single word on a whim, and I plan to explore their motivations for fighting in both Parts 1 and 3. I'm also going to develop several characters who need developing (I.e. Meg, Fiona, Leonardo, Edward, Nolan... Pretty much everyone) and no character will be trash.**

 **I do have several ships in mind, but those ships will develop as the story progresses. The senators are awful, self-serving dastards, but I don't think that Laura is stupid for believing in Ashera. Yes, she might be innocent and unaware of Ashera's plans. However, she doesn't know Ashera's plans yet, and she's been brought up in a world that regards Ashera as being a good Goddess.**


	13. Maiden of Miracles- Fiona

On the other side of Daein, a young woman with short hair was inspecting her troops. There were rumours that several citizens of Marado were planning to riot, angry at the Begnion Occupational Army for sending their sons to the work camps. They needed to be stopped. And quickly. Before any blood was spilt...

"Lady Fiona, your orders." Her deputy, a dark haired man named Henry, asked politely.

Fiona rubbed the back of her neck, considering her options. She needed to be firm, but fair with the rioters. If she could do that, then they wouldn't consider rioting in the future, and maybe they would also come to accept the Begnion Occupational Army. She sighed, silently thinking on what would be best for her people and for the Occupational Army.

"We're not going to kill anyone unless we have too." Fiona said seriously, "We will set up a curfew, and tell every single citizen that they cannot leave their homes after 6 o'clock at night. We shall also monitor public meetings, and see if anyone is planning to riot or rebel in Marado. If we discover evidence which suggests that, we shall arrest the civilians involved and give them long prison sentences. Is that clear?"

Henry nodded his head, before muttering, "Yes, Lady Fiona. I shall do what you command."

As Henry walked over to the troops, in order to tell them their orders, Fiona took a deep breath. What she was doing, what her troops were doing, was the right thing to do. The Occupational Army was planning to help rebuild Daein, to train up its people to be good soldiers, workers, teachers, leaders as well as planning to help stabilise Daein's economy. These civilians didn't understand. Once Begnion had finished helping Daein recover from the war, they were going to relinquish control over Daein's affairs, and let the people of Daein decide how to run their own affairs.

Why couldn't the rioters and the Dawn Brigade see that?

Fiona sighed again, before she got back on her horse. Once she did so, she began the long ride to the nearest town, ready to enact their curfew.


	14. Maiden of Miracles- Desert of Death

Rafiel watched as his two companions quietly navigated their way through the Desert. They were nearly there. Just a little bit further, and they would be in Daein, in Tellius. And he would be home for the first time since... No one made the effort to speak, instead focusing on making their way through the burning heat without becoming victims to the Desert itself.

As the sun began to rise, Rafiel could see some ruins off in the distance. They could shelter there for the day, and make some more progress in the evening. Rafiel pointed at the ruins, and the two Wolf Laguz smiled at the sight of them.

The male Wolf Laguz, Volug, muttered something in the Ancient Tongue under his breath. Rafiel couldn't quite catch what he was saying exactly, but if he had to guess it would be celebrating the fact that they had a place to rest for the day.

"So, we're nearly in Tellius." The female Wolf Laguz, Nailah, said quietly, "Finally."

"Indeed." Rafiel muttered in response, "It is good to be back in Tellius. All I need to do is..."

"Find someone to share your story with?" Nailah asked quietly.

Rafiel nodded. That was one of the two reasons why Volug and Nailah had decided to come with him. To help him navigate the Desert safely, so that he could reveal the truth behind the Serenes Massacre. The other reason was that Nailah wanted to learn more about Tellius, and forge alliances with the other Laguz Tribes.

After all, the people of Hatari were no longer alone in this world. They had a lot of new people to meet, stories to share, places to visit. And eventually, the people of Tellius and the people of Hatari would be able to coexist peacefully. They just needed to...

Volug suddenly said, in the Ancient tongue, "We should hurry. The longer we stay out here, the more likely that we burn to death or die of dehydration."

Rafiel and Nailah nodded, before the three of them hurried to the safety of the ruins, where they wouldn't be a victim of the Desert.


	15. Maiden of Miracles- A few hours later

Leonardo sat by Micaiah's side, worrying about her. Her ability to use Sacrifice... It was hurting her. He worried about the long-term impacts. What would happen if Micaiah used Sacrifice too much? Would she die from over-using it? If so, she needed to be careful. Yes, he knew that Sacrifice had saved their lives countless times, but they couldn't lose her in return. Sothe couldn't lose her...

Leonardo looked up, and saw Sothe pacing up and down the room, looking anxious. Occasionally, Leonardo could hear him mutter something about how he couldn't live without her. The two of them had a close bond, as they had know each other since they were children. If Micaiah died...

Leonardo eventually muttered, "Sothe, you know you should tell her..."

"Tell her what?" Sothe interrupted, looking confused.

Leonardo smiled, before saying, "How much she means to you."

"She knows that I care for her like she's my sister." Sothe said, looking at Micaiah with a warm smile on his face, "And she cares for me like... Like I'm her brother."

Leonardo paused for a second, before quietly saying, "Why the hesitation, Sothe? Unless... You want something more don't you? You love her."

"Um...you're mistaken Leo." Sothe said quickly, with a small blush on his face, as he tried to avoid Leonardo's gaze. Leonardo smiled to himself. _He was right_. He had seen the way Sothe looked at Micaiah, how protective he was of her, how he joined the Crimean Liberation Army just so that he could find her again. There was...

"...Mmm..." Micaiah moaned, slowly sitting up. Sothe smiled, before running towards her, and gently helping her to stand up. Micaiah looked up at Sothe, before she smiled at him warmly.

"Are you awake now? Thank goodness." Sothe said, in a worried tone, "Do you see? This is why I told you not to use Sacrifice..."

Micaiah quietly muttered something to Sothe, and Sothe quietly muttered something back. Leonardo couldn't tell what they were saying exactly, but he guessed she was telling Sothe not to worry about her using Sacrifice and Sothe was telling her to be more careful?

Meanwhile, Edward quickly approached Sothe and Micaiah, before saying enthusiastically, "We sure showed them in Nevassa, huh? I guess we can't go back there...not for a while anyway."

"I'm so fond of Nevassa. It's where we all met. It feels like my only real home. We will return...someday." Micaiah said quietly.

"We will, Micaiah. I know you, and you have a way of getting what you want." Sothe muttered with a smile.

"Because you're always there to help me get it, Sothe." Micaiah smiled back at Sothe.

Soon afterwards, they met up with Nolan, before the five of them headed onwards, in order to find more people to help and to inspire.


	16. Maiden of Miracles- Crimean Dog

Meg sat in a small bar, watching everyone intently. Was Zihark in here? She had asked around, but nobody had heard of, or knew, a Zihark. But maybe...

"Excuse me, miss." The barman said sternly, "What do you want to drink?"

Meg paused, and looked at the menu list, before saying quietly, "I'd like a glass of water, please."

"You're a Crimean, aren't you?" The barman asked, with a snarl.

Meg nodded, before replying, "I am, yes."

"I'm not serving you." The barman said seriously.

Meg stuttered quietly, "Ex-excuse me? Why?"

"You Crimean Dogs killed our King." The barman said angrily, "And then your fucking Queen decided to hand us over to Begnion. And look at the state of our once Great Country! I will never serve a Crimean dog as long as I live. Get the fuck out of here."

Meg, not wanting to put up a fight, nodded quickly and walked out of the bar. Once she was outside, she felt tears tricking down her cheeks. She knew why they hated her. Her country had won the war, and his country had lost it. She just wasn't expecting any racial slurs from a fellow Beorc, and she wasn't expecting to be insulted that quickly. She couldn't help but to...

"Have you heard that the Dawn Brigade was driven out of Nevassa?" A female voice attracted Meg's attention. She looked around, and saw two women chatting on a quiet street corner. The taller one had dark brown hair, which was tied up in a pony tail. The shorter woman's hair was a silvery-grey.

Meg quickly approached them, before saying, "Excuse me. What's the Dawn Brigade?"

"You haven't heard of the Dawn Brigade!?" The taller woman said, sounding surprised, "Where are you from, Crimea?! Anyways... The Dawn Brigade are a resistance group fighting to free Daein from Begnion Occupation."

The shorter woman added, "Their leader is a young woman named Micaiah. The Silver Haired Maiden. The Maiden of Miracles. The Priestess of Dawn. She is the one who will bring Salvation to us all."

Meg nodded, before saying quietly, "Thank you."

After that, Meg walked away, deep in thought. She only had one choice. She had to help them. She had to help the Dawn Brigade free Daein. That was her top priority. It was the right thing for her to do. After all, Daein was in this situation because of Crimea's actions, and she felt that she needed to help them get out of it.

And, she mused, she might find Zihark along the way...

* * *

 **Well, this actually wasn't planned, but I'm putting it in. :) It gives Meg some character development at least. :)**

 **So- that's the end of Maiden of Miracles! I hope that you enjoyed reading this, and I will post up Chapter 2 in a while (I've just started Chapter three... And I've still got to write the fight scenes... Considering that it took me ages to write the fight scene in Chapter 2, this may take me a while.)**


	17. The Disposessed- Meetings & Realisations

**So, I'm back with some more stuff, and yes there was a delay. The last couple of months have been... Interesting (in a good way) and pretty darn hectic. I even got a copy of Path of Radiance, which I've been playing a lot of. I'm on the chapter called Training. I haven't actually finished the next chapter yet, though I expect it'll be done in the next week or two- but then it's approaching 10,000 words long? And I'm doing something slightly differently with it as well?**

 **Anyways, 2 questions. The first one is that I'm introducing a couple of OCs for a side plot which won't take up the whole storyline, but will add to the world building and slightly change the entire plot of Radiant Dawn. I'm not sure on what everyone's view of OCs are, but if you don't like the idea, then it might affect whether I'm putting it in or not. (I'm more likely to put it in if you don't give feedback so yeah)**

 **Secondly- the thing that I'm doing slightly differently in the next chapter is that I'm writing three post-chapter 'support conversations' for every character in the Dawn Brigade, because the Dawn Brigade need some serious fleshing out. So, 24 in total. Again, I'm not sure if you guys want 'support conversations' either, but again, feedback affects whether I put it in or not. (Again, I'm more likely to put it in if you don't give feedback)**

 **Anyways- thank you for the reads, reviews, favourites and follows and I hope that you enjoy this chapter. :)**

* * *

"Just a quick half-mark, and we'll be in Kisca. I'd like to stock up there, but..." Nolan sighed, looking at a small town in the distance. It had been two days since they had fled from Nevassa, and they were starting to run out of certain supplies. Food mainly. They needed to stock up on these supplies, but Nolan knew that would be difficult.

"Begnion will be on the lookout for us. Let's steer clear of towns for now, unless we want more trouble." Sothe added seriously. By now, every single soldier would be on the lookout for the Dawn Brigade. Hiding would be difficult now.

Edward sighed, before slowly saying, "Don't tell me... This means another night sleeping on the cold ground with nothing but bugs to keep us warm!"

"Oh, Edward, it's not that bad! The forest is so beautiful and serene. I'd almost rather be out here. Right, Yune?" Micaiah said happily, looking at the small bird on her shoulder. Yune merrily tweeted back, causing Micaiah to smile.

To be honest, Micaiah preferred the forests in Daein to Daein's large cities. For one, the forests were quieter and they felt less chaotic than the cities, which gave Micaiah time to think and relax. Not only that, but none of the forest creatures judged her for being one of the Branded. However, in the cities she wasn't safe from the occasional bigot who judged her for who she was...

Just then, Sothe saw a young woman running towards them. He quickly pulled out a knife, just in case the woman meant harm. The other members of the Dawn Brigade followed his example, pulling out their various weapons and pointing them at the Black haired woman. She could be working for Begnion...

The woman nervously looked at the five members of the Dawn Brigade, before quietly saying, "Um...excuse me. Are you people heading to town by any chance? Our abbot is ill. He needs medicine, but Begnion soldiers are hoarding our provisions in the manor house."

"The Dawn Brigade, at your service! I'm sure we can help you and your abbot." Micaiah said happily, placing her Light Tome back in her bag. The other members of the Dawn Brigade also lowered their weapons, realising that the woman wasn't a threat.

The woman looked at the small group, deep in thought. So these people were members of the Dawn Brigade? She could see why they were so popular, as they willingly decided to help her once they learnt of her plight. She stuttered, "Thank...Thank you. I'm Laura. I'm a priest."

Leonardo looked at Laura, and smiled. He quickly said, "So, you're a healer?"

Laura nodded, "I am, yes."

Leonardo's smile grew wider. Thank Ashera. Laura's presence meant that Micaiah didn't have to use Sacrifice as much in battle. That meant that she wouldn't be causing herself physical harm and... Suddenly, Leonardo paused. No. No way. What if...?

Leonardo was shaken out of his thoughts (quite literally) by Edward. Edward was looking at his friend curiously. He then quietly asked, "Hey Leo. Are you ok?"

The blond haired man looked at his friend, before saying quietly, "Do you know if Nolan kept his copy of The History of the Laguz Tribes?"

Edward looked at Leonardo, before saying, "Why? Why do you need to know?"

Leonardo paused for a moment, before whispering back, "I need to double check something. Does Nolan still have the book...?"

Edward nodded.

Leonardo smiled at his friend, and muttered the words "Thank you", before realising that the rest of the Dawn Brigade and Laura were walking ahead without them. Leonardo and Edward immediately ran towards them, in an attempt to catch up.

* * *

 **NB: If you're wondering, Leonardo might have worked out something regarding Micaiah. The reason why he has able to work it out will probably be explained in one of the support conversations next chapter (if you want them). :) Just to clarify. :)**

 **Ace Pelleas- I know I said thank you on Serenes Forums, but thank you again. :) Yeah, the LP I watched of Radiant Dawn was really Anti-Dawn Brigade, which kinda explains how this fic started. :) And yes, I am having so much fun writing Aran. And Meg, strangely enough. One of the support conversations that I mentioned actually alludes to the torture scene (but not in too much detail. I just say what actually happened.) and will also explain why I didn't write it.**


	18. The Disposessed- Arriving at the Manor

**Here's the next section of the (rather short) chapter! :) Also, I'll be moving to Microsoft soon. The app that I was using updated itself... And well, it's pretty terrible now. It crashes every 100 words or so? :/ Luckily, it automatically saves my writing, but it's just annoying.**

 **Anyways, I digress. Nobody has said no to the OCs and the support conversations, so I'll be putting them in unless anyone says no. :)**

* * *

"So, Laura. If we tell you more about ourselves, can you tell us more about yourself?" Nolan asked the rather shy priest. They had been walking for some time now, trying to get towards the Manor before the Sun went down.

The shy priest smiled, before quietly saying, "Yes. When I was a child, I always knew that I would be a priestess and serve Ashera, which I've been doing for roughly 6 years now. Most of my family died in the war three years ago, though my mother and my younger sister survived and still live in the village. Apart from that, there's nothing really interesting that I can tell you. What about you?"

"I'm Nolan, the de facto leader of the Dawn Brigade, though Micaiah is the more recognisable face." Nolan smiled, "Well, technically it's the more recognisable hair... Sorry. I used to be a successful merchant, until my associates bailed out on me. Lived on the streets for roughly 4 years, before deciding to form the Dawn Brigade with the others. Sothe here. He's the mother hen of the group..."

Just then, Laura quickly pointed at a large building, and said, "That's the manor. That's where the medicine is being kept by the Begnion soldiers."

"Sothe, do you know the layout of the manor?" Micaiah asked quickly, looking at her green haired friend.

"I was here years ago. As I remember, there's a large armory tucked deep inside the building. And if I understand correctly, Begnion soldiers guard valuables they've stolen-from rare objects to necessary supplies-in that armory." Sothe said, with a small nod, remembering the last time he was there vividly.

"Then the medicine will be there, too." Micaiah said quietly.

Laura smiled at the Dawn Brigade, before quietly saying, "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Of course not! Danger is part of our work. Leave everything to us!" Sothe said sincerely, but quietly. After all, he didn't want to attract the attention of the guards.

"Your abbot will have his medicine." Micaiah said warmly.

Laura smiled at her saviours, before she said quietly, "Oh, thank you so much! Good luck!"

"Ok, so what's our strategy?" Nolan asked the group.

Edward quickly piped up, "Sothe is going to go in and unlock all of the doors, in order to let us in."

"Then Nolan will go in first, and take the brunt of the guard's attacks." Micaiah added thoughtfully.

Leonardo then said calmly, "Then Micaiah and I will be dealing damage from behind. Edward, meanwhile, will be at the back. He will defend us of any reinforcements arrive."

"I will join up with you at some point." Sothe muttered, "And I will help weaken some enemies so that the rest of you will get experience."

As the Dawn Brigade were busy strategising, Laura suddenly interrupted, saying, "I'll join you. I cannot fight, but I can heal you if any of you get injured."

"Are you sure?" Nolan asked, sounding surprised.

Laura nodded, "Yes. You're risking your lives for me, and I feel that this is the best way to repay you."

"Thank you." Micaiah smiled.

With the discussions finished, Sothe quickly climbed onto the roof, in order to break into the manor and give the rest of the Dawn Brigade the means to get in.

* * *

 **Yes, one of my head canons is that Nolan is the dad of the group, Micaiah is the cool big sis and Sothe is the mother hen. XD I don't know why, but I get the impression that Sothe would just fuss over everyone in the Brigade. :)**


	19. The Disposessed- To get the Medicine!

After what felt like forever, the front doors of the manor were finally opened. Sothe quickly gave the rest of the Dawn Brigade the thumbs up before he vanished again, presumably to unlock more doors. The rest of the Dawn Brigade gulped, and quietly nodded

To each other, before they took their first steps into the mansion.

"Are you alright, Laura?" Micaiah asked quietly, with a worried look on her face, "I know you probably won't be used to..."

Laura nodded slowly, before she said quietly, "I...I can do this. Don't..don't worry."

"We're not forcing you to do this, you know." Nolan said seriously, placing his right hand on Laura's right shoulder, "You can..."

Laura shook her head, before saying, "No. As I said before, you are risking your lives for me. I don't want any of you to die because I am not here to help you."

Edward suddenly interjected, "I think we should get back to fighting. After all, the medicine isn't going to steal itself, you know. And to get to the medicine, we need to kick Begnion butt!"

"Yes, that's true." Nolan chucked at Edward's remark, "Shall we then?"

The five of them slowly walked down the corridor, making sure that they weren't heard. Eventually, they arrived in a large chamber, full to the brim with soldiers. This was the place where Sothe said the medicine was stored. After making sure that they weren't spotted, the Dawn Brigade confirmed their plan of attack one last time.

As soon as they had done this, Nolan charged towards the nearest soldier, raising his axe into the air. The soldier didn't even have a chance to raise his lance, before Nolan sank the axe deep into his chest. As he was dying, the soldier shouted, hoping to alert his superiors to the Dawn Brigade's presence.

"What was that?" The soldier's commander asked quickly.

Another soldier replied, "Commander Zaitan, it seems that intruders have broken into the manor."

"Intruders, you say?! What with a full battalion stationed here? The gall! And the intrigue! Now, listen up, my men, catch 'em midstream and filet 'em like fish!" Zairean said enthusiastically, waving his lance in the air.

Meanwhile, a second soldier had engaged Edward in a fight, the sound of iron clashing against steel resonating across the large chamber. Neither of them wanted to give their opponent an opening from which to strike, and so the two of them stared at each other, refusing to let their guards down.

Leonardo saw his opportunity. He calmly took an arrow out of his quiver, before placing it into his Bow. A second later, he released the arrow, which flew gracefully through the air, before finding its mark in the soldier's right shoulder. The soldier swore angrily, dropping his lance onto the ground. Edward saw his oppertunity. He raised his sword into the air...

Only for the soldier to grab Edward's right arm and twist it, causing Edward to also drop his sword. The soldier then pushed Edward to the ground and wrestled with him, waiting for another soldier to come over and finish the job.

Big mistake.

This gave Nolan the opportunity to swing his axe onto the Soldier's chest. The Soldier gasped, and slumped onto Edward. Edward could feel the soldier's breathing growing shallower and shallower, as well as the soldier's heartbeat growing weaker.

A second later, the soldier was dead.

Edward quickly pushed the soldier's corpse off, before grabbing his sword and standing up. He smiled at Nolan, and said, "Thank you", before running towards the front line in order to deal with his next opponent.

Micaiah meanwhile, spotted an Myrmidon in the distance. She quickly ran towards him, before grabbing her Light Tome and opening it. Once she had done so, she shut her eyes, and muttered an incantation. A second later, a bolt of light stabbed him in the chest, and pinned him against the wall. The Myrmidon screamed, trying to remove the bolt of light from his chest. Instead, he cut both of his hands clean off. He then stared in shock at his missing hands, before he slumped onto the bolt of light.

Micaiah turned away, not even wanting to look at the Myrmidon's gruesome remains.

Meanwhile, Leonardo and Edward stood over the corpse of a soldier, making sure that she wasn't going to stand up. Edward was clutching his stomach, desperately trying to stop the flow of blood from leaking onto the floor. He was badly injured. Had staggered towards Laura, desperate from some healing. Laura nodded, as she shut her eyes. A second later, a light shone from her staff and surrounded Edward's body. Another second later, Edward could feel his wound slowly heal itself.

Edward smiled at Laura, and said "Thank you", as he headed off to find his next opponent.

"That takes care of the locks. Now, I just have to figure out how to get everybody safely up here." Sothe muttered, as he finally entered the large chamber the rest of the Dawn Brigade were in. He looked around, and saw the rest of his allies fighting off the (surprisingly) small force stationed here. As he looked around, he saw a couple of Treasure Chests lying around, unguarded. Whatever was in them would be useful to have. Maybe he would unlock the chests and steal their contents as well.

Nolan, meanwhile, was defending Micaiah, as a soldier and a Fighter were quickly approaching her. He quickly grabbed a Hand Axe, and threw it at the soldier, praying to Ashera that it would hit its mark. A second later, Nolan smiled, as the Hand Axe settled deep into the soldier's chest. The soldier looked up at Nolan, as she tried to remove the axe from her chest, without considering the fact that the axe was the only thing preventing potential blood loss.

However, she was unable to do so, as a second Hand Axe flew straight into her face.

The fighter himself collapsed a second later, as an arrow flew straight into his throat. Nolan turned around, and saw Leonardo standing there, fixated on the fighter. Edward stood beside him, also fixated on the fighter...

And not on the soldier standing right behind him.

"Edward, look out!" Nolan shouted at Edward, who turned around...

As a steel lance entered his chest.

Edward gasped, and he looked down at his wound, and watched in horror as his clothes slowly turned a dark red. The soldier drew the lance out of Edward's chest, allowing Edward to fall to the ground.

Nolan, Micaiah and Laura ran towards Edward, hoping that he wasn't dead. They...they couldn't lose him. Not now. Leonardo meanwhile, calmly walked behind the Soldier, with pure malice in his eyes. He quickly grabbed an arrow from his quiver, before thrusting it straight into the soldier's throat.

"I can't... I can't feel a pulse." Micaiah said quietly, with tears trickling down her face, "I..don't think we can..."

Leonardo by this point was kneeling beside Edward, muttering, "Please say that isn't true. There has to be a way to save him. There must be a way to save him. Please, Micaiah. Please, Laura. Say there is a pulse. Say there is a pulse!"

"I'm sorry, Leo... I..." Nolan said, tapping Leonardo on the shoulder.

Leonardo said quietly, with tears cascading down his cheeks, "He's not dead. Edward is not dead. He can't be. He...he has to survive. He must. I can't...I can't.."

"Leo..." Micaiah said quietly, looking at Leonardo. He looked...broken. His eyes were glazed, his body was slightly shaking and he looked like he was having a breakdown. And Micaiah could see why. He had lost his best friend, his brother, one of the few people he had left. She would have felt the same way had she lost Sothe... She quietly approached Leonardo, before pulling him into a hug.

Laura meanwhile, was gently feeling Edward's wrist, double checking to see if he was dead. Suddenly, she could feel it. A pulse. It was very faint, but there was one. She could then see that Edward was weakly breathing. She quickly grabbed her healing staff, and muttered an incantation, hoping that this would be enough to save him.

Five seconds passed.

Then ten.

Then thirty.

Laura prayed desperately to Ashera. She needed a miracle. She needed...

A minute passed.

Laura sighed to herself, thinking, "I don't think there is going to be a miracle. It's been a minute, and still Edward hasn't.."

Roughly a minute and a half later, Edward's eyelids slowly opened. Edward moaned, his vision heavily blurred. Was that...Laura? He weakly tried to sit up, before collapsing to the ground. As his vision grew clearer, he could see Laura staring at him in disbelief. She stuttered, "You...You're alive?"

Edward paused, before muttering, "Did I die?"

Laura shook her head, before she slowly helped Edward to his feet, and allowed him to use her as support, as they both walked towards the rest of the Dawn Brigade. Laura smiled as she saw the rest of the Brigade's (bar Nolan, who was currently fighting another soldier) stunned, but happy, reactions to Edward's survival.

"Edward!?" Micaiah said loudly, a huge smile spreading across her face. She stood up, and ran towards Edward, tightly hugging him.

Meanwhile, Leonardo stared at Edward in shock. Edward smiled, before saying, "I'm alive, Leo. Please..."

Leonardo weakly replied, "Please, don't nearly die on me again. I couldn't bear to live without you."

Edward smiled, before replying, "I won't. Now, don't we have some medicine to collect, or is that just me?"

The rest of the Dawn Brigade nodded, before rejoining the fight.

While this was going on, Nolan was busy trying to stay alive. Two soldiers had cornered him, and both were staring at him furiously, trying to find a weak spot. Nolan maintained his focus. He had to survive. He could...He could not let Micaiah and Sothe down. They had already lost Edward. They could not lose him as well.

Just then, one of the soldiers was hit with a bolt of light, severely melting his Armour and causing him to drop his lance. Nolan seized the oppertunity, as he swung his axe deep into the soldier's chest. The soldier spluttered, blood trickling out of his mouth, before he fell to the ground. He never got up.

The second soldier seized an oppertunity, using her lance to strike Nolan in the right shoulder. Nolan swore, and dropped his axe onto the ground. He turned around, and saw the soldier smile at him, with pure malice in her eyes. She readied her lance, as she prepared to stab him in the chest. Nolan shut his eyes and...

A loud scream rang out.

Nolan opened his eyes, and saw the female soldier on the floor, with Edward...

Wait? Edward?

He was alive?!

Edward ran towards Nolan, a huge smile on his face. He quickly said, "I'm glad that I got here in time! Are you alright? I saw her hit you..."

"I'm fine." Nolan smiled, as he slowly picked up his axe, "The question is are you alright? You nearly died on us!"

Edward chuckled, before saying, "I guess I got lucky! Anyways, I'm going to go try and find the medicine. Are you coming with us?"

Meanwhile, Sothe had opened the first of the chests, pulling out what seemed to be a Light Tome. He could never read what those Magic books said. Never had the chance to learn really. Micaiah would know, though. He would have to...

Sothe was suddenly interrupted by a voice, which called out, "Hey, you! How did you get in here?!" Sothe turned around, and looked straight into the eyes of a Begnion Fighter.

"We are the Dawn Brigade. We go where we please. We're here to reclaim what you've stolen from the people of Daein." Sothe muttered, before he grabbed his dagger and pinned the fighter to the nearest wall. In one swift motion, the dagger slashed the Fighter's throat. Sothe let go of the Fighter, and allowed the Fighter's body to fall to the floor.

Whilst this was going on, Micaiah and Leonardo had teamed up in order to fight another soldier. Unlike the others, who had charged to their deaths, this soldier was a lot more cautious. More aware of how strong the Dawn Brigade could be. She raised her shield, and hid behind it, waiting for Leonardo and Micaiah to run out of weapon charges. Once they had done so, then she would strike them whilst they were defenceless.

Micaiah concentrated on the soldier's shield, as she aimed a bolt of light at the metallic shield. As the bolt of light made contact with the shield, the shield flew out of the soldier's left hand and skidded across the floor. The soldier swore, as she turned around in order to reach for her shield.

However, as she was about to grab her shield, she could feel an arrow settle deep within her right arm. She fell to the ground, and looked up. She could see one of her attackers, a young boy with blonde hair aim another arrow at her. A second later, this arrow entered her chest.

"Lady Ashera...Please protect my...family." The soldier murmured quietly, before she closed her eyes and allowed death's sleep to claim her.

Whilst this was going on, a Begnion Archer ran towards his commander, and shouted, "Sir! There are burglars on the loose! Several young men and women have broken into the manor house!"

"Did you say women? What... What color is their hair?" Jarod asked quickly. Maybe one of those women was the Silver Haired Maiden... If so, that would be perfect.

The Archer replied, "There are two girls. One has bizarre silver-colored hair, and the other-"

"The Silver-Haired Maiden! Hm, very well. I want all soldiers on hand. Capture the girl...alive. Do what you will with the others, but bring me that girl! Understand!?" Jarod said enthusiastically, hoping that these soldiers were not a bunch of idiots like the last lot.

The Archer replied, "Sir, yes, sir!"

Sothe, meanwhile, had finally finished looting all of the chests, and was quietly, but quickly approaching the rest of the party. As he quietly crawled across the ceiling beams, he spotted a lone Archer aiming an arrow at Laura's head. Sothe could understand why. Kill the healer, and the enemy forces would be severely weakened. But that didn't mean that he would allow the Archer to kill their newest Ally.

Laura suddenly heard a scream. She turned around, and saw Sothe on top of an enemy Archer. Sothe quickly pulled his knife out of the Archer's throat, before walking towards her.

"You should be more careful of your surroundings." Sothe muttered quietly, "You nearly-"

Before Sothe could finish what he was saying, a Begnion Fighter grabbed Sothe's collar with his right hand, and aimed his axe directly at Sothe's throat. Laura gulped. Sothe couldn't fight back. She couldn't fight back. She ran towards him, with her right arm outstretched. She needed to push him away...

The fighter and Sothe flew across the room. Laura gasped, and looked down at her right hand. She could see a faint golden light stretch out across the palm of her hand. Did that mean that she used magic to...?

She looked up, and saw Sothe weakly stand up and reach for a second knife. He slowly approached the Fighter, who had also managed to get to his feet. The fighter looked around, trying to find his axe, which allowed Sothe the oppertunity to strike. A second later, the fighter was also dead.

"You...you used magic?" Sothe asked, sounding stunned.

Laura nodded slowly, "I... I didn't know I could do that."

"Thank you for doing it though." Sothe smiled, "You saved my life there."

Laura smiled back, before warmly saying, "That's ok. Though, Sothe, you really should be more careful of your surroundings. You nearly just died there."

Whilst this was going on, Nolan and Edward had finally reached the last two opponents. Edward had decided that he was quietly going to sneak up on the Archer, whilst Nolan was to tackle the Armoured soldier wielding a lance.

Edward took a deep breath, before charging towards the Archer. The archer, who looked noticeably stunned, quickly pulled out an arrow from her quiver. Edward didn't have time to react to this development, before he felt an arrow sink deeply into his side. Edward grit his teeth, trying to hide the fact that he was in pain, as he stuck his sword deep through the Archer's bosom. As he pulled the sword out of her, she fell to the ground, her blood staining the wooden flooring. She weakly tried to grab another arrow from her quiver, but instead she slumped onto Edward's feet and breathed her last.

Nolan, on the other hand, was struggling against his opponent. The two of them kept on trading blows, as neither wanted to be the first to sustain a serious injury that would lead to their death. Nolan channel all of his strength into his axe, as he continued to try and break through his opponent's defences. But his opponent didn't want to give up either, and he was channeling all of his strength into blocking all of Nolan's attacks.

As Nolan continued to fight the Armour-clad soldier, he called out to Micaiah, "Micaiah, come here!"

Micaiah, having heard her name being called, ran towards Nolan and Edward, and saw Nolan trying to defend himself from an Armoured Knight wielding a long lance. She knew immediately what Nolan wanted her to do. She quickly opened up her Light Tome, and focused her attack on the opponent's lance. As the bolt of light broke the Knight's Lance, Nolan seized the opportunity to sink his axe through the Knight's Armour.

The fight ended soon after.

"Is anyone injured?" Micaiah asked, before noticing that Edward's side was bleeding, "Edward, stay still."

Edward replied back, "I'm fine. I can wait for Laura. Please, don't overexert yourself. I don't want you-"

"I'll be fine." Micaiah smiled warmly, as she pressed her hands on Edward's side. A few seconds later, she could feel the power of Sacrifice flow through her hands, and she could also feel Edward's wounds slowly heal up.

Edward looked up at Micaiah before replying, "Er...Thanks. You didn't-"

However, Edward was quickly interrupted by Laura, who had finally reached the entrance to the store cupboard. She muttered, "At last... Glory be! The abbot will have his medicine. Wait for me here. I'll return soon."

Laura ran into the store cupboard, and she quickly spotted the Abbot's medicine on the highest shelf. However, as she tried to reach for it, she could feel a hand being pressed against her mouth and she could feel another hand grab her right arm. She was pulled backwards, and further away from where the rest of the Dawn Brigade were. She tried to look up, and see what her assailant looked like, but before she could her assailant spoke.

"Well...look what we have here." Her assailant muttered quietly, "Do you want me to get that medicine for you, Daein scum?"

Laura tried to scream, but she instead felt her assailant's hand press itself against her mouth.

"You're with the Dawn Brigade, aren't you?" Her assailant continued quietly, "Or should I call them a bunch of common thugs?"

Laura didn't react to what her assailant said, hoping that he would just let her go, but she knew that was unlikely. He must be with the Begnion Occupational Army. If so...

"I am taking you with me." Her assailant said darkly, "After all, the Dawn Dastards wouldn't leave one of their own behind, would they?"

Laura tried desperately to fight back, and stop this... Soldier from taking her away. She tried to kick him in the shin, but her assailant's Armour prevented her from causing any serious injury. She tried to summon that magic that she used to protect Sothe earlier, but the magic never activated. She couldn't bite him, she couldn't push him back.

She was stuck.

Suddenly, she could feel her assailant drag her across the room and towards another open door. A second later, the two of them went through that door and towards the rest of the Begnion Army.

* * *

 **Several things:**

 **1) Edward was on 1HP when Laura healed him. So, whilst there was a weak pulse, Edward was unconscious and it would have taken a while for his injuries to heal up. That's why everyone thought he was dead. Laura didn't gain the miraculous ability to revive the dead.**

 **2) When Laura saved Sothe, she did use Light Magic. (Her promoted class can use Light Magic, so why not tie it into the story?) The reason she couldn't use it when she was attacked by her assailant was that she isn't trained to use Light Magic, and thus her ability to use Light Magic activates randomly.**


	20. The Disposessed- Seperated

**So, I combined two really small sections into one. :) I hope that you enjoy. :)**

* * *

"Well done, everybody! Are we all present and accounted for?" Sothe asked, once he was certain that the coast was clear.

He looked around, and he could see Leonardo nodding at him, Nolan giving him a thumbs up, Edward shouting "I'm present!", and Micaiah... Wait. Micaiah was looking around the forest, looking worried.

"Wait! Laura's missing! She was just with me." Micaiah shouted, and Sothe immediately understood why Micaiah was worried. Laura must have gone to collect her Abbot's medicine. So, she should be nearby. Maybe she had gotten lost? Maybe the Begnion Army had found her? Maybe some wild creature had found her?

"Let's split up and search for her. Micaiah, you come with me." Sothe said quickly.

"...Hm, the forest is huge. We can cover more ground if we search individually." Micaiah said, looking thoughtful.

"But..." Sothe began, worried that the Begnion Army would still be in the forest. If so, then they would be able to...

"Let's rendezvous at Kunu Swamp in three marks' time." Micaiah said quickly, before heading off into the forest.

Meanwhile, Sothe ordered Edward, Nolan and Leonardo to search different areas of the forest, before he headed into the forest himself, hoping that Laura was only lost in the forest... And a worse fate hadn't befallen her.

* * *

Instead of searching the forest, Edward headed straight back into the manor. Yes, he knew he was at risk of being caught, but he needed to do something first.

Finally finding himself back in the room where he nearly lost his life, Edward weaved his way through the corpses, and towards the storage cupboard where Laura said that the medicine was still being kept.

It could have been him, lying down dead on the ground. It could have been his blood staining the wooden floors. It could have...

Edward tried to brush these thoughts aside, as he searched the cupboard for the Abbot's life saving medicine. Eventually, he found it sitting on the top shelf. He smiled and reached up for it, before tucking it into his bag.

So... Laura never got her medicine after all. Maybe the Begnion Army sprung a trap...?

As he walked back through the room where the battle had taken place, Edward tried his best to smile.

He couldn't.

He had now experienced death first hand, and what ever he did, he would never be able to forget what it was like, how it felt. He felt shaken, like he wanted to vomit. But he shouldn't. He should be searching for Laura...

Laura had saved his life, and in return she was suffering at the hands of the Begnion Army.

Finding Laura was more important than recalling his own near death experiences.

Eventually, Edward stormed out of the manor, feeling determined, as he decided to hunt down the Begnion soldiers who had taken Laura.

* * *

 **Ace Pelleas- Yeah, I used to avoid writing battle scenes like the plague, as I didn't even have a clue how to write them. So, hearing feedback about writing really good battle scenes make me happy. :)**

 **THANK YOU! :D I kinda know what I'm planning to do with future battle scenes (I spent a month writing the next battle, for... a really annoying reason, and I cut out a few enemies in order to keep the battle short) But then it was justified, as the chapter was an escape chapter... I'll need to work out what to do with the Rout chapters. I do want to write all the battles though. :) Even though they're difficult, it's so satisfying to finish one. :)**

 **Thank you! :) And yeah, rushing is unlikely (as mentioned in the previous chapter, the app I'm using currently crashes every 100 words, which is an...interesting experience. Plus writing battle scenes takes a while) And I'm glad that you saw my response! :)**


	21. The Disposessed- Taken

Micaiah walked through the voice, whilst weakly calling out Laura's name. She had lost track of how long she had been in the forest. How many marks had passed by since she started looking for Laura? One? Two? Maybe more?

What was more concerning was that the sun was beginning to set and the sky was beginning to darken. She should be heading back, she should be finding somewhere safe to stay the night. But she couldn't until she found Laura.

 _Snap_.

She heard a tree branch snap. Micaiah's eyes darted around, trying to see if there was anyone there. She quietly muttered to herself, "Somebody's nearby..."

"You sensed me, did you?" A male voice called out. Micaiah turned around, and saw a tall man with short hair. He was looking at her with a large smirk on his face.

Micaiah swallowed, before weakly saying, "Where is Laura?"

"And you saw through my ruse. You're as clever as they say, my dear. You even came alone. How brave of you. Was that to give your friends a chance to escape? What a thoughtful little thing you are." The man said darkly, as his smirk began to widen. He looked behind him, and poked at someone with his right arm.

As if on cue, Micaiah could hear Laura say, "Mi-Micaiah! Don't come any closer!"

Micaiah shouted, "Laura! Let her go! She isn't one of us..."

"Now, you know I can't do that. She's a valuable hostage, just like you!" The man said, looking... strangely happy with this development. For the first time Micaiah felt... Terrified.

Micaiah nervously shouted, "No! Yune, fly away!"

Yune cried out, before the little bird took flight, and flew away from danger. Micaiah weakly smiled, wishing that she could do the same.

Argh, dratted bird! Yes, get that mangy flying bag of bones out of here before I squash it like a fly! Tch. How annoying." The man's voice interrupted Micaiah's thoughts. She looked up, and saw the man talking to more soldiers. Eventually, he shouted, "Enough of this! Back to the castle. As long as we have these two, the others don't matter."

Another soldier immediately replied, "Sir. All hands, withdraw!"

Meanwhile, Micaiah muttered quietly, "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

Soon afterwards, Micaiah could feel several soldiers grabbing her arms, as they dragged her away, presumably to the local prison.

* * *

"Where's Micaiah?" Sothe asked, sounding worried.

Three marks had passed since they had split up to look for Laura, and now four members of the Dawn Brigade had gathered at the Kunu Swamp. However, neither Laura or Micaiah had arrived.

Leonardo spoke up, "Maybe we should wait here one more Mark, just in case she had gotten lost. After all..."

Edward shook his head, "I think the Begnion Occupational Army have found her. I found Yune whilst I was grabbing the Abbot's medicine and searching for Laura, but I didn't see Micaiah."

"That is likely. I did see some Begnion soldiers whilst I was searching for Laura." Nolan said thoughtfully, "Maybe Micaiah and Laura were spotted by those Begnion soldiers..."

"If that is the case, where would they have taken them?" Sothe pondered aloud, before saying quickly, "Glaive Prison. No..."

Leonardo immediately noticed Sothe's darkened expression before muttering, "Glaive Prison? Is that the one with Tobias the Bloodied...?"

"Yes." Nolan said simply, looking just as anxious as Sothe did.

For the first time in a long time, Edward looked just as nervous, "Will they let... Will they let Tobais get his hands on..."

"Micaiah is more valuable to them unscarred." Nolan replied, "After all, they will want her to look pretty for her execution. Laura on the other hand..."

The whole group fell silent, dreading what fate would befall both Micaiah and Laura. Eventually, Leonardo spoke up, "We should leave now."

"Do you have a plan?" Sothe asked quickly.

Leonardo nodded, "I do. We're going to bust into the prison, free Laura and Micaiah, kill Tobias, and then get out of there."


	22. The Disposessed- Late Night Meeting

**And so, this is the final section of the Disposessed. I hope that you all enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to sharing the next part of the story with you. :)**

* * *

Aran sat quietly on the grass outside of the prison, looking at the crescent moon in the sky. He should have been asleep by now, but instead he was being kept awake by his own nightmares and thoughts.

He knew that he shouldn't have agreed to watch Percy being tortured. He knew that Tobias would have been the one administering the torture. However, he agreed to it, mainly because he didn't want to be accused of being a Daein spy. He knew what the Daein prisoners would do to him if he ended up in jail...

But was watching an innocent man to die, and aiding in that man's death, any better? Was betraying his people better than being imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit? And now Laura was in line to be sent to Tobias...

He shut his eyes, and he could feel tears trickling down his cheek. His whole body shook, as the sounds of screams echoed in his ears. He couldn't... He couldn't do this anymore.

He just wanted to get away.

Having opened his eyes, he wiped away his tears, before looking around the prison's outskirts. In the distance, he could spot four people walking towards the prison. Aran stood up, and marched towards them.

"Halt! Who goes there?" Aran asked, trying to sound assertive.

A short, brown haired boy said, "Sothe, we've been spotted."

"Were you trying to break into the prison?" Aran asked quickly, hoping that they would say yes. Yes, it was a foolish hope to have, but Aran sorely needed it at this moment.

"Two of our own are in Glaive Prison, and we're trying to get them back." A tall, green haired man replied.

A short, blonde hair man muttered, "Sothe, this man is a Begnion soldier..."

"Who are you trying to rescue?" Aran looked at the group curiously.

A tall man with a beard replied, "Err... We're looking for two women... The first woman is called Laura..."

"Does she have short black hair, and is she a priest?" Aran immediately asked, daring to hope that the Laura that they were planning to rescue was the Laura he knew from his childhood.

The bearded man nodded, before saying, "Why, yes. Do you know her, per chance?"

"If you're planning to rescue Laura, follow me." Aran quickly stated, as he led the four people towards a secret passage way that would take them towards Laura and the other person they were planning to rescue.

Whilst he was doing this, Aran weakly smiled to himself. He knew that he'd be damned for this, doomed to hard labour, torture or execution, but for once Aran didn't care. His life wasn't worth much anymore. As long as he could save Laura and another innocent person, then it would be worth it.


	23. A Faint Light- Early Morning Reunions

**So... I'm not dead?**

 **Anyways, hello. Apologies for not updating sooner. This chapter was a beast to write. Firstly, the battle scene was ridiculously long, and it took a while to write. Not only that, I wrote a lot of support conversations... Whilst life went and got crazy... So this chapter in total is 15,444 words.**

 **So, I'm splitting updates for this chapter into two parts. The first part will be the chapter itself. The second part is all of the support conversations. This will give me time to write the next chapter, which hopefully won't take me half a year to do so.**

 **Also- Fire Emblem Direct Yesterday... Looks good. Pumped for the FE 2 Remake, the new Amiibo as well as the new Switch games. Might get Warriors, but not really fussed by the mobile game.**

 **But anyways, thanks for everything guys, now for A Faint Light! :)**

* * *

Laura woke up as the sun began to rise in the sky. She rubbed her weary eyes with her left hand, before she slowly sat up on the cold stone floor. She could see Micaiah sitting on the other side of the room, along with three people that Laura didn't recognise.

The first was a tall, dark haired woman, wearing a pink scarf-like thing. The other two were a short man with dark green hair and a short woman with lavender coloured hair who was still asleep. Who were these people, and what were they doing in this prison? Laura slowly stood up, planning to ask them who they were, but before she could Micaiah spoke.

"I hope the others escaped..." Micaiah said softly, looking slightly anxious.

Laura, gave Micaiah a reassuring smile, before replying, "I'm sure they are safe and secure, just as I'm sure the abbot got his medicine. I believe in them."

Just then, the dark haired woman interrupted, saying, "Pardon... Excuse me. Not to pry, but did you know you're bleeding? You've got some blood on your sleeve there."

"Hm? Oh, you're right! I've been so distracted, I didn't even notice..." Micaiah said absentmindedly, staring out into space. Laura guessed that she was worrying about where the rest of the Dawn Brigade were.

The dark haired woman replied, "Unfortunately, there are no vulneraries to heal you in this rat hole... Here, try wrapping this cloth around your wound."

"Thank you very much. I don't believe we've met. I'm Micaiah, and this is Laura." Micaiah said in reply, smiling at the dark haired woman who helped her.

The dark haired woman smiled back, before saying, "I'm Aimee. I've been a...lucky guest in this dungeon for quite some time. On behalf of myself and my snoozing friend over there, Ilyana, it's very nice to meet you, Micaiah."

With this, Ilyana murmured, "...Mm...", before she rolled over and began to snore.

"Why are you two in here?" Micaiah asked quickly.

Aimee said angrily, "I wish I knew! I belong to a merchant caravan that was passing through en route to the next market day. When we arrived here, we were brought to this... charming prison against our will. Now, we await the general's pleasure."

Laura nodded, before replying, "I see. Well, that doesn't sound good. How unfortunate."

"Um..." The man with dark green hair mumbled.

Aimee looked startled, but eventually she said, "So you can talk. You've been so quiet over there, I assumed you didn't speak our language."

"...If you wish, you may use this salve on your wound. It's an infusion of Olivi grass." The man replied, handing Micaiah a small glass vial full of a clear liquid. Micaiah looked at the vial curiously, wondering if it was safe.

Aimee asked curiously, "Olivi grass? Hm, I've never heard of it. Are you sure it's safe?"

"It's unquestionably safe... and effective." The man replied, with a small smile on his face.

"Thank you most kindly. I'll try it." Micaiah smiled, as she removed the cork from the vial.

Aimee looked at Micaiah, before muttering, "Well, aren't you the trusting one? Are you honestly comfortable applying a strange medicine to your wound?"

"I am. I know it will work. Thank you for sharing your medicine." Micaiah said, as she poured the salve onto her wounds. A second later, the wound quickly began to close up, and the bleeding stopped.

"You're welcome!" The man smiled, especially when he saw that the medicine had worked on Micaiah.

With this, the five people sat quietly within the cell, wondering where the guards were. Surely the guards should be here, keeping an eye on their prisoners, and making sure that they didn't attempt to break out of jail? Something was going on, and none of the five knew what it was.

"I hear something!" Micaiah said suddenly, shattering the silence that had developed within their prison cell. She could hear footsteps. Four sets of footsteps. Four sets of footsteps that we're getting louder and louder. She could hear Laura faintly mumble that there were people who were approaching their cell.

Suddenly, Micaiah could hear a male voice say, "Here you are." She looked up, before seeing a familiar face look directly at her.

"Sothe! Yune! I'm so glad you're both all right!" Micaiah said happily, as she hugged Sothe. Finally, they were being rescued by the rest of the Dawn Brigade. She could see Nolan standing behind Sothe, keeping a look out in case Begnion Guards came their way. She could see Leonardo and Edward helping the other prisoners to their feet and making sure that they were alright.

"Sorry it took so long to get here." Sothe muttered, interrupting Micaiah's thoughts. He looked around, and when he saw Aimee, he kindly said, "Hello."

Aimee looked at Sothe, her eyes full of lust. She walked up to him, and stroked Sothe's chest with her left hand. After she had done this, she winked at Sothe and said merrily, "Well, hello! I remember you. You've certainly grown up to be easy on the eyes! I believe I'm a little smitten."

Sothe felt his cheeks grow red. He tried to form a response, but he was tongue tied and he couldn't quite find the words. He did think that Aimee was...slightly attractive, but he didn't...

Micaiah replied quickly, trying to hide her jealously, "You two know each other?"

"Somewhat. We crossed paths during the war." Sothe eventually replied, thankful that Aimee didn't get any more chances to "flirt" with him. He quickly decided to change the topic, saying, "Let's get out of here before the guards come. I'll open the door, then we'll find a way out."

The dark green haired man said quietly, "I would like to get out of here, too. Like Aimee, I have no idea why I've been imprisoned. May I join you?"

"By all means!" Micaiah said warmly, as she shook the green haired man's right hand.

"I thank you much. My name is Kurth." Kurth said formally, with a small smile on his face.

"Well then, Kurth, after you." Micaiah said cheerfully.

With that, Sothe led Aimee and Micaiah out of the cell, with Ilyana, Leonardo and Kurth behind them. As Micaiah was led down the corridor, she could faintly hear Nolan and Kurth shut the cell door behind them.

Once the cell door was shut, everyone broke out into a run. They all knew that the guards would soon discover that the cell was empty, and that their precious prisoners had escaped. They just needed to get as far away as possible before the guards discovered that they were missing.


	24. A Faint Light- Spotted!

Eventually though, they made it. They were outside the prison, and they were but a stone's throw away from the prison's exit. At the moment, they couldn't see any guards waiting for them. They were fine at the moment.

Nolan ran ahead of the others, before pointing at an almost deserted alley. He shouted, "Sothe, this way!"

"Nolan! Edward! Leonardo! It's so good to see you all." Micaiah said with a sound of relief, finally acknowledging her other rescuers. She ran up to each of her other allies in turn, before giving them a quick thank you hug.

Laura asked quietly, "How did you manage to sneak in this far without Sothe's help? They must have been a swarm of guards patrolling the outskirts of the prison..."

Nolan said in response, "Oddly, one of the soldiers let us in the back way."

"A Begnion soldier?" Micaiah asked, sounding confused. Why was a Begnion soldier helping the people of Daein?

Edward said eagerly, "Yes. He said, If you're here to save Laura, follow me."

Laura said, sounding confused, "How strange. Why would a Begnion soldier mention me?"

Suddenly, a loud shout could be heard. A few seconds later, the sounds of footprints started to grow louder and louder. Micaiah could sense danger. The footsteps began to grow closer and closer, louder and louder. Finally, they could hear one fighter shout, "The prisoners are escaping!"

"Surprise, surprise! They found us!" Micaiah said, as she looked at everyone's worried expressions. They were going to have to fight their way out, after all. They would need a strategy. But more importantly, she would need a weapon.

"Micaiah, this is for you." Sothe said, rummaging through a small bag before pulling out a small book with a golden yellow colour. He assumed that this was a Light tome, though his knowledge of the old language was limited.

"My tome! How did you get it?" Micaiah said, sounding shocked, as she grabbed the Light tome that Sothe had given her. Sothe, meanwhile, slightly smiled. He had got it right, and hadn't accidentally handed Micaiah a tome that she couldn't use, such as... Thunder Magic, for instance.

"I didn't know if it was yours, but I figured you could use it. So at the armory, I borrowed it too." Sothe replied, whilst still smiling at Micaiah.

"Well done, Sothe. Now I can pull my weight and fight." Micaiah said happily, as she started to read through the Tome, working out the best way that she could use it in the upcoming battle.

"And a staff for you, Sister." Sothe continued, as he handed a Heal Staff over to Laura. (Or what he thought was a Heal Staff. Sothe didn't understand these things very much. He understood the art of stabbing people, not how to heal them with magic. That was Micaiah's job.)

Laura smiled at Sothe, as she grasped the Heal Staff in her hands. She said quietly, "Thank you very much."

Ilyana quickly said, noticing the other Tome in Sothe's hands, "Um... I... I can fight too. Could you... lend me that tome?"

"What, you mean this one? Ilyana, I didn't know you used light magic, too." Sothe muttered, sounding confused.

"Sothe, that's a tome of lightning magic." Micaiah said, trying to correct Sothe's mistake.

"It is?" Sothe asked, a hint of confusion evident in his voice. Sothe could see Leonardo and Laura's bemused expressions, as well as Nolan chuckle quietly to himself. They knew, and they didn't tell him earlier?

"I give up. You just grabbed at random, didn't you?" Micaiah asked, sounding exasperated.

"You know I can't read the old language. The letters all look the same to me!" Sothe said, trying to defend himself, "Here. If this one will work, take it. Just like old times, right, Ilyana?"

Ilyana said, with a weak smile on her face, "Thank you... And yes, Sothe... I don't want to fight...but I'm glad I'll get to fight alongside you again..."

"Ilyana? If you're not up to it, don't feel pressured to fight. We can handle the soldiers. You look a little woozy. Are you sure you're going to be all right?" Micaiah muttered, sounding worried.

Aimee replied with a smile, "She's fine, Micaiah. She's always like that."

"But..." Micaiah began, sounding confused.

Ilyana interrupted her, calmly saying, "I can fight... I'm...very angry... The food here... It was terrible, and...they gave us hardly any... I... will have vengeance."

"This girl takes her food pretty seriously. Interesting." Micaiah noted, wondering if it would be useful strategy wise.

"I see Ilyana is as hungry as ever." Sothe said with a smile.

Aimee stated simply, "Don't worry about us. We'll carefully tiptoe around you all. The boy and I can't fight, so we'll stay out of harm's way. Good luck, everyone!"

"I am sorry to impose upon you. Please be careful." Kurth added, sounding worried.


	25. A Faint Light- Battle for Freedom

Almost immediately, those who could fight gathered in a small huddle. There were things that they needed to discuss and plan out before they could bust out of the prison. Such as a plan, for instance.

It was Edward who was the first one to raise the question. He said quickly, "So, what's our strategy?"

Nolan replied quickly, "Edward and Leonardo, defend Aimee and Kurth from any reinforcements. Sothe and I will form the defensive front line. Micaiah and Ilyana, cast spells from behind to weaken or kill any enemies. Laura heals anyone who is injured."

Leonardo said thoughtfully, "There's one small problem with your strategy."

"Which is?" Sothe asked curiously.

Leonardo replied quietly, "Well, Nolan and yourself are experienced fighters, whereas Edward and I are not. The soldiers in here must be experienced fighters. So, if Edward and I were to get attacked... I don't know if we could fight them off. We could very easily die. I don't want... And then Kurth and Aimee would be in danger."

Nolan nodded at Leonardo's suggestion, "That sounds reasonable. So, Sothe and Leonardo will protect Aimee and Kurth just in case reinforcements do arrive. Edward and I can form the defensive front line. And then the other roles can all stay the same... Does anyone have a problem with this?"

Nobody replied. Everyone thought that the strategy seemed like a good one. Soon afterwards, everyone immediately began to get into formation, ready to fight their way out of the prison. Sothe headed towards Aimee and Kurth, ready to protect them just in case they were attacked. Laura grabbed her healing staff, ready to heal anyone who was injured. Ilyana and Micaiah held their tomes tightly, as they stood behind Edward.

The only people not in formation were Nolan and Leonardo.

As Nolan headed off to form the front line with Edward, Leonardo quickly called out, "Nolan."

"Yes?" Nolan asked, as he walked towards Leonardo.

Leonardo looked down at the ground, as he said quietly, "Please, promise me that you'll protect Edward."

"I promise." Nolan said with a smile, "I will protect the two of you until I draw my last breath. You two are like sons to me, and I couldn't bear to lose you."

Leonardo looked at Nolan, a rare smile beginning to appear on his face. He said, sounding grateful, "Thank you."

With that, Nolan joined Edward on the front lines, whilst Leonardo joined Sothe, Aimee and Kurth at the back. Immediately afterwards, Nolan charged towards a Begnion Fighter, his Axe raised high in the air. The enemy Fighter readied his own axe, before he swung it straight towards Nolan's chest. Nolan quickly dived out of the way, as he landed on the ground.

Ilyana then shut her right hand, forming a fist, as she quickly muttered a spell. A few seconds later, the enemy fighter could hear the air around him begin to crackle. He looked up, and saw several bolts of lightning flying straight towards him. He tried to dodge out of the way, but as he did so, a small bolt of lightning hit him on his arm. The fighter swore, as he dropped his axe on the ground, before he rummaged through his pockets for a Vulnerary.

By then, Edward had jammed his sword straight into the fighter's throat. The fighter slowly fell onto the cold ground, and stopped moving. A small pool of blood began to form around the fighter's corpse and the blood on Edward's sword slowly dripped onto Edward's boots.

As Nolan got off the ground, he could see Micaiah quickly cast a Light Magic spell aimed at the nearest Myrmidon. The burst of Light Magic tore the Myrmidon's right arm off, and the Myrmidon screamed in pain. She desperately tried to stop the blood loss by covering her shoulder with her left hand. Nolan knew that it wouldn't work. They needed Vulnerary, or a Cleric like Laura on her side, to close the wound up and prevent her from losing too much blood.

But Nolan didn't have a Vulnerary. And there wasn't a Cleric nearby. She was doomed.

Nolan walked towards the injured Myrmidon. She seemed young, barely into adulthood. She had probably signed up, expecting glory and excitement, without realising how... Dangerous it would be. She looked so scared, probably at the prospect of dying. Nolan decided to gently pick her up, and move her to someplace where she could die in peace.

"What... What are you doing, vermin?" The Myrmidon asked weakly.

"Moving you out of the way." Nolan replied kindly.

Nolan dragged the Myrmidon into a quiet alleyway, and placed her gently on the ground below. The Myrmidon weakly smiled, and muttered thank you, as her breathing began to slow down and grow quieter. A few seconds later, she was dead.

Edward meanwhile, was engaged in battle with a nearby soldier. The sound of steel hitting iron could be heard across the battlefield. Edward grit his teeth, trying to ignore the blood dripping out of a cut in his arm. He thrust his sword upwards, knocking the steel lance out of the soldier's right hand. Before the soldier got a chance to react, Edward lunged his sword straight into the soldier's chest.

The soldier collapsed onto the floor, and stopped moving.

Edward hurried back to Laura, before holding his arm out to her. Laura smiled gently, as she held her healing staff close to Edward's injury. A few seconds later, Edward could see his injury begin to close up and the bleeding begin to stop.

"Thanks." Edward smiled, before he headed back to the front lines.

Whilst this was going on, Ilyana was muttering another incantation. She then pointed her right hand in the direction of an Armour Knight who was clutching a sword. A bolt of lightning then rained down from the sky, and landed straight on the Armoured Knight's head. The Knight began to scream, as he was slowly electrocuted within his own Armour.

Another Amour Knight, who was holding an axe, ran straight towards his ally, and tried to rip his ally's armour off. Another set of screams could be heard, before the corpses of both armoured knights hit the floor.

Meanwhile, Leonardo and Sothe were a fair distance from the front lines, making sure that any reinforcements didn't attack Aimee and Kurth. Kurth remained silent, listening to the sounds of battle echoing in the distance. Aimee, on the other hand, was enjoying flirting with both Sothe and Leonardo.

"Why, being protected by two gorgeous hunks is every girls dream." Aimee said playfully, as she looked at both Sothe and Leonardo, "Today is my lucky day!"

Leonardo said, sounding frustrated, "Now, if you keep on distracting us, we might not notice the reinforcements."

"Of course, my knight in shining armour..." Aimee said whistfully.

Leonardo replied, "I'm an archer, not a Knight. And I'm not interested in any offers that you make."

"Why's that? Are you...?" Aimee tried to ask, before Sothe interrupted.

"Shhh... Reinforcements up ahead." Sothe said quietly.

Aimee, Kurth and Leonardo looked in the direction that Sothe was pointing. Sure enough, they could see several soldiers running straight onto the battlefield. The three soldiers weren't close to them, luckily, though they were perilously close to Laura and Micaiah.

And one of those soldiers looked oddly familiar...

Laura was healing a small wound on Micaiah's shoulder when they both heard the sound of footsteps. They looked up, and saw three soldiers walking out of an alley way. Laura said thoughtfully, "Hm... That soldier... Could that be..."

"You recognise him?" Micaiah said, sounding curious.

Laura nodded slightly, mumbling, "I think that's my childhood friend... But why?"

She ran. Laura needed to double check that it was him. She knew that she was putting herself in danger by doing so, but what if it was him and her allies killed her childhood friend? She would never forgive herself if her inaction caused her friend's death.

As she got closer, she could see that the soldier had lime green coloured hair, and a face that Laura could remember from her childhood. It was him, it was Aran. She had found him at last. She shouted happily, "Aran? I can't believe it! It IS you!"

"Laura!" Aran said, his voice sounding both happy and shocked. He knew that Laura was in the prison... He just wasn't expecting her to be fighting her way out of the Prison.

Laura continued, saying, "I knew it! But, Aran, why? Why would any true Daein join sides with Begnion?"

"A true Daein? I'm not sure I still am one... Not since a family of merchants from Begnion took me in... But I could never do anything to hurt you. You've always been like a little sister to me. Get out of here, Laura... while you still have a chance! I'll turn a blind eye." Aran said quietly, hoping that Laura would take up his offer and just run. He knew that he'd be punished, but...

Laura said, sounding slightly angry, "But what about Micaiah and Sothe? And Edward, Nolan and Leonardo? They've risked their lives fighting for the abbot—and for me. I couldn't possibly abandon them now, not even if it meant saving myself."

"Oh, bother..." Aran said quietly, knowing that once Laura set her heart on something, he wouldn't be able to change her mind.

Laura asked seriously, "What's wrong?

"I... I can't keep lying to myself any longer. I know what Begnion is doing in Daein is despicable, and I can't support it." Aran said, trying to hide the pain in his voice. He didn't want to let Laura know what he'd been through. He couldn't. She would never forgive him if he told her the truth.

Laura said hopefully, "Then..."

"Then... from now on, I'm fighting for what's right... just like the abbot taught us. Come on. Let's get you—and everyone else—out of here!" Aran said, seriously.

Laura smiled, before happily saying, "Wonderful! Thank you, Aran. I knew it. You haven't changed a bit. You're as considerate as ever. Your family would have been so proud!"

Aran said, "Now, get yourself out of danger."

As Laura ran away from Aran and the other two soldiers, Aran faced the two soldiers in the face. One of the other soldiers was Tobias. The two of them needed to...settle some things...

"Tobias." Aran said, sounding disgusted.

Tobias glared at Aran, before he spat on him, "Hello, Aran. Or should I say Daein scum, you traitor? My torture chamber is empty at the moment. I look forward to having your company in there."

Aran lunged at Tobias, and shoved him against a wall. He was just. So. Angry. Angry that men like Tobias had power, and that they abused their power so easily. Aran grabbed his lance, and shoved it straight into Tobias' throat. Aran dislodged the lance from Tobias's throat, and allowed the monster to lie dead on the floor.

Just then a scream could be heard. Aran turned around, and saw a woman with silver grey hair strike the other soldier with a burst of light magic. As the other soldier fell to the ground dead, Aran paused for a moment. Was that the Silver haired Maiden? It couldn't be, right?

Nolan pulled his axe out of an Archer's chest, as he saw Edward dispatch with the Archer that he was also fighting. That was another two enemies down, and there would be a few more to take down before they could escape from this infernal place. He looked around, and he suddenly spotted a Begnion soldier fighting a Begnion Myrmidon in the distance. Nolan raised his eyebrows. Did a Begnion soldier defect from the army? If so, he neded help!

Nolan yelled at Edward, ordering him to pull back, before he ran towards the Begnion soldier. He recognised the soldier instantly. It was the one that helped hem get into the prison into the first place. The one who wanted to rescue Laura. Nolan charged at the Myrmidon, before swinging his axe straight into the Myrmidon's sword. The sword broke in two, and fell to the floor.

The Myrmidon's eyes widened, as Aran stuck his lance straight into the Myrmidon's chest. Blood trickled out of his mouth, as he slumped onto the lance. Dead.

Aran dislodged his lance, and turned towards the man who rescued him. He muttered quickly, "Thank you for helping me."

"You were the one that helped us rescue our friend." Nolan said, with a smile, "I am Nolan, and you are...?"

Aran smiled back at Nolan, before saying, "Yeah, I saw Laura fighting with you. Thank you for looking after her. I'm Aran, and it's nice to meet you Nolan."

Edward, meanwhile, had engaged in a skirmish with a Begnion fighter who was easily double his height. Edward held onto his sword as tightly as he could, as he blocked an axe that was aimed directly at his chest. Edward pushed his sword forward, causing the fighter to lose his sense of balance.

With that, Edward charged, pointing his iron sword straight at the Fighter's throat.

"You! Crawl quietly back to your cell, and I'll spare you. More than that, however, I cannot promise." A sword knight, who was presumably the commander of these forces, shouted at Micaiah as he galloped towards her on his horse. He swung his sword in the air, with the intent of striking Micaiah and the rest of the Dawn Brigade down.

Micaiah replied back confidently, "Don't be so sure. This isn't our first fight, and it won't be our last."

"A brave, yet foolish, sentiment. Before the might of the empire, you lowlifes are just cracked dirt beneath my boots!" The commander replied, as he drew closer to Micaiah. He barely dodged out of the way as Micaiah launched a bold of light at him. He then swung his sword deep into her chest.

Micaiah collapsed.

"Micaiah!" Sothe shouted, as he ran towards her. Yes, he knew that he should be defending Aimee and Kurth, but he couldn't allow Micaiah to die.

Leonardo called out, "Sothe! What about...?"

"You'll be able to deal with any reinforcements!" Sothe shouted, "It's just that Micaiah needs help."

Leonardo nodded, allowing Sothe to leave, when he saw them. Two soldiers, a Myrmidon and an archer had come out of the prison's entrance. The four of them pointed towards Leonardo, and shouted, before they charged straight towards him. Leonardo immediately told the others to retreat, as he readied an arrow in his bow. He took a deep breath and fired.

The first soldier collapsed onto the ground. He didn't move again.

By this point, Leonardo had readied his second arrow, and fired again at the group. The Archer dodged out of the way, before he fired an arrow straight at Leonardo. Leonardo dodged out of the way too late. He could feel the arrow land straight into his right shoulder.

Damn.

Leonardo knew that the injury he sustained meant that he wouldn't be able to fire accurately. But that didn't mean he was defenceless. He pulled another arrow out of his quiver, intending to use it as a melee weapon.

And that was when a bolt of lightning struck the Myrmidon in the chest. The Myrmidon collapsed on the floor, and began to wither in pain. Another bolt of lightning later, and the Myrmidon stopped moving.

Leonardo turned around, and saw Ilyana standing behind him, ready to strike. Leonardo smiled at his rescuer, and asked, "What about Aimee and Kurth?"

"They're fine." Ilyana said, with a small smile, as she fired another bolt of lightning at the reinforcements. The soldier dropped his lance, his right arm heavily charred by the lightning bolt's strike. Ilyana again, aimed a second bolt of lightning at the soldier.

By this point, the archer had drawn closer, and was aiming a bow at Ilyana, ready to avenge the deaths of his three allies. Leonardo ran straight towards the archer, holding an arrow in hand. As the archer prepared to fire an arrow, Leonardo's arrow sunk straight into the archer's neck.

As Leonardo pulled the arrow out, he could feel the archer's warm blood flowing out of the wound. The archer fell to the ground, and died soon after.

Leonardo wiped the blood off his hands, as Ilyana passed him a Vulnerary. Leonardo smiled, and smeared the vulnerary's contents against his shoulder injury. Leonardo shut his eyes, and winced, as he felt his skin slowly began to heal and the wound began to close up. He reached for his bow, and grabbed an arrow from his quiver.

He just needed to find the others, and protect Aimee and Kurth just in case any more reinforcements arrived.

Sothe, meanwhile, was defending Micaiah from the commander's blade. Laura was kneeling down by Micaiah's side, using her heal staff to try and heal the wound's that Micaiah had sustained. From the corner of Sothe's eye, he could see Edward taking down the last fighter, and Micaiah slowly began to sit up.

Sothe breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe.

In that moment of weakness, Sothe gave the commander an opportunity to strike. The commander swung his sword deep into Sothe's shoulder, causing Sothe to drop his knives in pain. The commander aimed his sword straight at Sothe's neck. This was it. Sothe couldn't fight back, couldn't defend himself against the commander's sword.

Sothe would die soon, and...

Thwack.

Sothe looked up, and saw that an arrow had landed straight into the commander's neck. As the commander fell off his horse, Sothe turned around, and saw Leonardo, covered in blood, aiming a second arrow straight at the commander's chest.

However, the second arrow would never find its target. Micaiah, still woozy from her injuries, had cast a burst of light magic, which settled itself straight into the commander's chest. Sothe could see the commander quietly mutter sometching, and the commander's chest rise and fall one more time.

He was dead.

Sothe could feel Laura's healing staff heal up the wound he had sustained due to his carelessness, as Nolan approached him.

"We've done it. Edward and I killed the archer and the soldier guarding the exit. The coast is clear, and we can escape." Nolan said, sounding relieved.

And with that, everyone ran towards the exit. Leonardo and Sothe were the first to escape, followed by Nolan, Aimee and Ilyana. After them, Laura, Aran and Kurth ran straight out of the prison compound, with Edward and Micaiah bringing up the rear.

They had escaped.

They were free.

* * *

 **Author's Note: As to why Nolan moved the dying body of his opponent away- In the spur of the moment, I realised that I wasn't treating the opposing army humanely (though I have been trying to do that over the course of this story) and so Nolan moved the enemy's body out of the way.**


	26. A Faint Light- Princes and Tents

**Penultimate section of part 1 of this chapter! :) There is more to come, but it'll take me a little while to do so. Hopefully only a month or two after this last section. I hoped that you enjoy it and you'll continue reading this! :) Also- reviews are appreciated, as I like replying to you guys. :)**

* * *

"Thank you so much... all of you! Because of your bravery, I can finally rejoin my merchant caravan." Aimee said with a wink, before she sighed deeply, "Still, coming back to Nevassa, I'm stunned at the terrible state of things. Who would have thought that Begnion would rule with such an iron fist? They run your nation with boundless cruelty, looting the towns and sending your able-bodied men to camps. It breaks my heart."

Jorge added bitterly, "They make me miss Ashnard, Daein's late Mad King. And I never thought I'd say that! At least he never tried to destroy Crimea as a country!"

"What do you mean by that?" Micaiah asked curiously.

Daniel replied sadly, "People make a country. One person—even a noble king—does not a country make. And a strong country only exists when its people are strong. As Begnion crushes the citizenry, it slowly destroys Daein."

Jorge said angrily, "The dastards are treating Daein like a nation of slaves! If this persists, Daein's strength will be sapped, and the nation itself will cease to be."

"Then, what should we do? What can we do to save our country?" Micaiah asked sadly, worrying about the future of the nation that she called home.

Jorge replied slowly, "There is a rumour. If it's true, there might be hope..."

"Look here, Jorge! Don't go spouting off rumours." A man named Muston snapped at Jorge.

"No, I want to know! If there is a shred of hope for us, tell me." Micaiah pleaded.

Jorge said calmly, "Well, the rumour is that King Ashnard left an orphan behind."

"Really? Is that true?!" Micaiah asked, sounding shocked.

"King Ashnard had a child? Why have I never heard of this?" Sothe asked quietly.

Daniel added, "It's just a rumour—nothing more. But if it's true, it would be a strike of great fortune for Daein."

Jorge said thoughtfully, "In the last war, Crimea used a scion of the royal family to unify its people and rally a liberation army. So could Daein."

"And drive out the loathsome Begnion!" Aimee said enthusiastically.

"So where is this orphan?" Micaiah asked curiously.

Jorge said in response, "According to rumour, he's in the east, near the Desert of Death, trying to raise an army to lay claim to the throne. Shall we go there?"

"Micaiah, what do you think?" Sothe asked quietly.

"...In the desert... an important encounter awaits us. It shall be one that changes the shape of our future." Micaiah said, as if in a trance.

"Well, that's it then. We must go to the desert to meet our destiny." Sothe said calmly.

* * *

"Also, Micaiah." Nolan said to Micaiah once she had finished talking with the Merchants.

Micaiah smiled, "Yes, Nolan?"

"When we were in the prison camp, we stole some supplies from the Begnion soldiers." Nolan began to ramble, "We stole seven tents and a supply of food that should last us three days. I have calculated that it will take us one day to travel to Biblin, the town nearest to the Desert of Death. Therefore, we will need to rest at some point for the night."

Micaiah nodded, "Thank you, Nolan. Have you decided how you are going to sort out the tents?"

"I have." Nolan nodded, "You will share the first tent with Laura. Sothe, Edward and I will have the second tent. Leonardo and Aran will share the third tent. Kurth, Muston, Daniel and Jeorge will share the fourth tent, which is the largest tent. Ilyana and Aimee will share the fifth tent. The sixth tent will be for food storage. The seventh tent was just an extra, but one we may need in the future."

Micaiah smiled, before saying, "Those plans sound good. We'll tell the others, and then when we find somewhere to rest for the night, we can put the tents up and share the food."

"Thank you, Micaiah." Nolan smiled, "That was all I needed to discuss."


	27. A Faint Light- Begnion

**And now- this is the subplot that I decided to focus on, and the final section of Part 1 of this chapter. I hope that you enjoy it (especially as I'm taking a huge risk with this)!**

* * *

Meanwhile, in one of the coastal Duchies of Perin, a senator was talking to a Laguz woman that he'd bought from another senator. He had heard rumours that this senator had... Quite the rare find, and the senator was glad that the rumour was true.

As he walked into the room, the Heron Laguz looked up at him. Her long black hair cascaded down her back, and easily went past her waist. The feathers had been ripped out of her wings, making her wings look like fleshy stumps sticking out of her back. Her skin was deathly pale, apart from a small eye shaped tattoo on her left wrist. She looked... Malnourished and thin. Too thin.

"Hello... Master." The young Heron said meekly, trying to avoid eye contact. The senator sighed. She was scared of him, scared of any and all Beorc. Just what had that family done to her? The senator gulped, trying to fight back tears.

Eventually, he mumbled, "There's no need to call me Master, Alyssa. Call me Matthew."

"Yes, Ma...Matthew." Alyssa said quietly, "Do you... Do you want my services?"

Matthew took a deep breath, as he looked at her face. He asked quickly, "What are these services?"

"Ummm... I am a prostitute." Alyssa admitted quietly, "They hire me out... Make me do things... After all, I'm just a... A worthless sub human. I should... I should fulfil any Beorc desires, no matter what they are. "

Matthew felt tears trickle down his face. Alyssa looked terrified, broken and unwilling. But Matthew could tell that she believed every word that she had said. No one deserved to be treated in that way.

"Matthew...?" Alyssa asked quietly, bringing the senator back to his senses.

Matthew replied, just as quietly, "You are not worthless. You deserve more respect than that. I actually plan to free you. Yes, your homeland may be gone, but..."

"I do not deserve freedom." Alyssa stated weakly, "Ashera decreed that all sub-humans should be slaves to the Beorc, for the Beorc are..."

Matthew replied angrily, "Don't believe their lies. Ashera decreed that all peoples, both Laguz and Beorc should be equal, and that neither race should be slaves to the other. My chef is going to bring you down dinner in a short while. I am going to let you rest and recover, for you have a long journey ahead of you."

With that, Matthew walked out of the room that Alyssa was staying in. He looked up at the clock, and swore to himself. He had forgotten that Senator Jonah was coming to visit today. He quickly shut the door to Alyssa's room, before heading down to the main foyer of his mansion.

And sure enough, Matthew immediately recognised the tall, well built man in front of him. Jonah was already here.

"Jonah, my old friend, how are you?" Matthew smiled, as he hugged Jonah. It had been a while since Jonah was summoned to the Begnion Capital, and this was one of the rare occasions when he'd be able to see his friend.

"I'm well Matthew. How are you? And your wife and newborn son? And how is the girl?" Jonah asked in response.

"Everything is good on my end. My wife and Marcus are doing fine." Matthew replied, before whispering into Jonah's ear, "The girl needs to get out of Begnion as soon as possible though. She's a lot more damaged than I thought she would be."

Jonah replied angrily, "What did they do to her?"

Immediately, Matthew quietly began to explain to Jonah what happened. You see, Jonah, along with Matthew's wife Elise, was one of the very few people that Matthew could trust with his secret. That Matthew would try to buy Laguz from other noble houses, before using his various contacts in Gallia and Pheonisis to smuggle the Laguz out of Begnion. If anyone asked what happened to those Laguz, Matthew would just lie and said that they had died. After all, if he told the truth...

By the time that Matthew finished his explanation, Jonah looked like he could easily murder half of the noble households in Begnion. He said, sounding furious, "Damn them. Damn them for everything that they did."

Matthew quickly changed the topic, hoping that this would calm Jonah down, "How was the meeting?"

"Do you have a stiff drink?" Jonah asked, sounding angry and depressed.

Matthew sighed, "What have they said this time?"

"They refuse to give Daein her freedom. They want to introduce harsher Anti-Laguz laws. They speak treacherously about the Apostle behind her own back. They are just a pack of selfish, backstabbing dastards." Jonah said angrily, "And pretending to agree with them, in order to avoid suspicion, is soul destroying. I wish that I had a newborn son, so that I had a reason to not go."

Matthew replied wearily, "Yes, I remember having to deal with that when I was actively on the senate. I'm just glad that they haven't suspected me of freeing Laguz yet. If they did, I don't know what will happen."

"Also." Jonah said quickly and quietly, "Senator Levail has offered to sell me one of his prized fighting Tiger Laguz. Apparently, he got injured in his latest fight, and Levail would have killed the poor Laguz if I hadn't bought him."

Matthew smiled, "Thank you. I can talk to my contact in Gallia, and hopefully he will be ready to leave Begnion in a matter of weeks."

"Thank you." Jonah said with a smile, as the two of them headed down to the dining hall, where dinner would soon be served.

* * *

 **Author's Note- The idea of this subplot came to me when I realised that the Begnion Senate in particular were portrayed as a group of evil dastards. Yes, the Senators in game are truly awful people, and I would not even attempt to humanise them in this fic. But it made me wonder- what if there were decent senators who were powerless to act against the other Senators? So, this subplot idea was born. Matthew and Jonah do have reasons to be Pro-Laguz, but those reasons are best left for another chapter?**

 **Alyssa meanwhile was not even meant to be a Laguz, but it was the original name of Matthew's wife who would have played a huge part in this subplot. However, I read the Path of Radiance Recollection Guide translation on Serenes Forest Forums, which stated that "less than a hundred herons survived the attack on the Serenes Forest." Alyssa just happens to be one of those erons now.**

 **One thing that makes me happy about this subplot in particular (and much better than the one I originally had in mind for this story) is that I'm writing from a perspective I had not even considered before, and it gives me oppertunities to explore events which happened off camera in the main game itself. And as someone who loves world building, I am really eager to do this.**

* * *

 **Reply to The FrelancerSeal- I agree with you- I don't see much Tellius around nowadays, and when I do it tends to be the Griel Mercenaries, which is one of the many reasons why I'm writing from the Dawn Brigade's perspective instead. :)**

 **THANK YOU! :) I'm glad that you're enjoying it so far! :) Especially because that was the action scene I've written in a while, so I'm glad I got that opening cutscene right! :)**

 **It's not the first time that I've written for a game I haven't played, though I will say that it's the hardest one I've done, because Tellius just has so much scope and the characters themselves don't have long wiki pages or articles on TvTropes. :( Yeah, I like getting reviews for this fic in particular, as it means that I'm handling the Dawn Brigade correctly. :)**

 **I will try to- it make take a while, but I will get there eventually. I have ideas and plot arcs that will last me until the final chapters of Radiant Dawn, so it's just finding the time to get all of this written. :)**


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